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Inordinate amounts of noise and being adorned with safety
equipment may not sound like your idea of a good time, but for sculptor
Jim Saracino, it’s all part of the creative process. For the past ten
years, the resident of Dolgeville (Herkimer County) has been making
sculptures out of found and recycled metal. The artist has been exhibiting for several years in the
Dolgeville and Utica areas and recently exhibited at LARAC’s arts
festival in June. Jim is also a member of the Saratoga County Arts
Council, the Cooperstown Art Association and the Arts Center in Old
Forge. He has participated in several juried shows including the
sidewalk art show at the Munson Williams Proctor Art Institute in Utica.
His entrée into the genre of metal sculpting comes from a combination of
a love of building things and a dislike of waste. “I don’t like to
see anything go to waste,” said Saracino. “There’s not much I throw
away. And I've been building things since I can remember."
He buys or finds pieces of metal from friends and acquaintances,
rescuing from an early grave at the junkyard and turning them into
statues and sculptures that range in height from 10 inches to five feet.
“I’ve built motorcycles, tractors, steel sculptures with little garden
urchins, fuel trucks, downhill skiers and golfers,” said Saracino.
“The more I do it, the better I get at it.” Saracino said his
metals come from a variety of sources. “I build sculptures out of
recycled metal, some new, some used,” he said. “Sometimes it’s car
or farm machinery parts … basically out of anything I can get a hold
of.” Many are one-of-a-kind creations because of the unusual forms
incorporated in the work. Most are of a rust patina and designed
to enhance the appearance of the garden and yard with unusual and
eye-catching shapes, while others are used as indoor sculptures.
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Saracino currently works out of his garage where he transforms hunks of metal into works of art
with a tool box that includes welders, cutters, grinders, goggles (for
eye protection) and blow torches. It’s a hobby, said Saracino,
that’s not for the fainthearted. “I’ve burned my hands on a few
occasions,” he recalled. “And I got shocked today. “It’s a
noisy process; there’s a lot of pounding involved.” For years,
Saracino has owned and operated his own construction business, but the
increasing demand for his sculptures may change that. “So far I’m
working my sculpting around my business,” he said. “But I seem to
be doing more and more sculpture work.” And if he has his way,
he’ll be saving even more errant scraps of metal from the junkyard.
“I like the idea of using stuff that was going to be thrown out,” he
said. “It’s nice to see a piece of metal being used for something.” Saracino’s metal sculptures range in price from $12 to $1,500. |
