Above: BRIAN MOCK finds giving common metal scrap new life as a dynamic sculpture like Metalmorphosis VI, an artistically challenging yet gratifying process
September, 2024: Scrap metal recycling is big business in the U.S. In 2023, nearly 50 million metric tons of iron and steel scrap worth tens of billions of dollars were consumed. For Brian Mock, scrap metal represents a treasure trove of possibilities waiting to be explored. Beneath his hands, an endless flow of materials from old bolts, screws, sockets and nails to wire, car parts, utensils and store fixtures are transformed into life-size figures of people and animals. Precise and detailed, his singular sculptures convey a sense of energy, tell stories and express emotions.
“My passion is rooted in self-expression,” says Mock. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve struggled with verbal communication. So in a way, I feel like my sculptures do the speaking for me.” Based in Aloha, Oregon, with his wife Karen, Mock tried drawing, painting and wood carving. In the late 1990s, he discovered recycled metal.
To breathe life into discarded steel, Mock taught himself to weld. “I bought a cheap MIG welder and an instructional book and learned to weld by trial and error,” he recalls. “This was before information was easily accessible online. You couldn’t YouTube it. I had to rely on reading and dedicated practice.”
He says he has always been resourceful. “It was natural for me to gravitate towards a profession in recycled materials. I discovered I had a knack for it. I love the simple concept of making something new from something old. It’s a fun creative challenge and the bonus is that using scrap materials keeps it out of landfills.”
EXPRESSION
Juggling the responsibilities of a new business with his need for materials, Mock sorted through scrapyards and garage sales. His first piece initially took on the shape of an action figure “but ended up as a funny 2-ft .-tall creature holding a glass bud vase.”
Mock began taking his sculptures to local art markets, including a fiveyear stint at the Portland Saturday Market, which runs every weekend 10 months of the year. He later started posting his work on social media. His wife took over as business manager, a step that freed Mock to focus on developing his art and skills. “Karen and I really built this business as a team,” he says.
Today the self-described metal “evolutionist” creates the majority of his pieces for corporate clients and private collectors.
Interest from buyers continues to grow along with Mock’s fantastic beasts, functional furniture, bowls and lamps, historical figures and ethereal forms. He also created a niche for memorializing customers’ pets. Mock’s work reflects the long hours he has spent studying details like the shape and contour of an eye or the way fur lays against an animal’s body.
“If you look at my earliest pieces, they aren’t as lifelike as they are today,” he says. “It really took me years to perfect my welding skills and develop processes and methods of sculpting that I’m happy with. It’s still an ever-evolving process so I’m always learning and striving to improve. My hands have grown very comfortable with metal.”
EVOLUTION
Mock primarily works in mixed, ferrous steel though he occasionally turns to copper and aluminum. His choice of available scrap has expanded along with his career. “I’ve been fortunate to connect with people and businesses who have lots of scrap to share,” he says. “Local machine and auto shops let me rummage through their bins and people contact me when they want to offload their collections of stuff. I’ve amassed my own scrapyard of recycled metal at this point. Hardware, steel cable, license plates, components of metal furniture it’s an endless list.”
Combining master craftsmanship with his own brand of artistry, Mock typically begins a project with a sketch and some measurements. Tools of his trade include MIG welding, cutting and grinding. Mock uses an anvil to shape, flatten and bend metal by hand with a variety of vintage hand tools, some of which he customized for specialized results.
Grinding removes rust and dirt from metal scrap pieces, allowing Mock to give his sculptures a polished surface. A clear, enamel spray paint helps to protect the finish. Indoor installations retain their shiny appearance. Pieces procured for outdoor locations eventually develop a patina.
“Since I have quite a massive inventory of materials to choose from, I keep bins on my workbench to rummage through as I go,” says Mock. “Essentially, I grab pieces one by one, fitting them together like a jigsaw puzzle. I’ve become pretty accustomed to placing and shaping the pieces to fit the intended aesthetic.”
It can take Mock anywhere from a few days to a few months to complete a sculpture, depending on the size and complexity of the piece. An average work week for Mock is six to eight hours a day, five days a week.
EMOTION
Weight is also subjective. A medium-sized dog for example, can weigh about 100 lbs. while larger-scale sculptures can reach 1,000 lbs. When Mock was commissioned to create a sculpture of Paul Revere on his horse for Boston’s Revere Hotel, the project took several unexpected steps. Mock had to craft the sculpture in five different sections that would fit through the hotel’s front door. He then welded the sections together onsite. The sculpture’s individual components numbered in the thousands and the finished sculpture weighed almost 2,000 lbs. A grizzly bear, made from aluminum, also ranks as one of his larger sculptures.
For Mock’s smaller pieces, such as family dog sculptures, he uses a hydraulic lift table to raise and lower the pieces while he works on them.
“My wife also helps me muscle sculptures around for photo shoots,” he says. “Many of my clients use their own freight services for shipping, but if a client doesn’t have a way to transport the artwork they have purchased, I have relationships with a couple of freight drivers that I can count on to pick up my work. I also build my own wooden shipping crates.”
Aside from his realism art style, Mock’s Metalmorphosis series has captured the attention of clients around the world. The otherworldly figures testify to Mock’s rich imagination.
“The original Metalmorphosis sculpture was meant to be an entire face,” says Mock. “But early in the project it wasn’t looking right, so I cut out the portions that looked wrong and realized it actually looked pretty cool incomplete, with all those voids. The absence, or the suggestion of a face, had more appeal. The sculpture still had a full torso, but the partial face was the aesthetic I connected with. I continued the series and came up with the name as a fun and appropriate play on words.”
Mock has completed six sculptures in this series with the first piece being sold at an art show. Three were commissioned by private clients in the U.S., the United Kingdom and Australia. Two 6-ft.-tall-plus sculptures were purchased by a hotel in Portland and a Milwaukeebased company.
ENGAGEMENT
“My work is designed to emphasize resourcefulness and encourage viewer engagement,” says Mock. “Audience reactions fuel my creativity and help me bring my visions to life.”
Mock’s work also remains a conduit for his voice. A progressive auditory processing disorder makes it difficult for him to communicate verbally and process and retain information. The condition makes it challenging for him to participate in face-to-face, radio or television interviews. While his ability to engage with the world using conventional methods is restricted, there is a silver lining.
“I think these issues have helped to propel me towards success because the sculptures need to do the speaking for me,” he says. “Through my work I can convey a statement, emotion or intention without saying a word.”
From left, Scarlet II-Boxer, Nashville Guitar 2 and Gaia Rising
Despite his verbal and processing limitations, Mock’s inventiveness is boundless. “I think it would be fun to do something mythological like a dragon,” he says. “Something completely different from anything I’ve done before, where I could really lean into my imagination.”
Brian Mock, http://brianmock.com/
