Many of my metal wall art pieces are inspired by the weathered look of old discarded metal objects, maybe an old metal sign, or part of an old car. This is one of those pieces. Those discarded metal objects are perfect in their weathered state. This piece is perfect in its imperfection.

This is my first experimentation in this distressed metal style. It was the result of lots of trials with paint layers and sanding. The piece itself required lots of layering and sanding. I cut and distress the metal by hand. It is quite a physical process. My arms get quite tired halfway into the process. The folds are actually three folds, like a “V”, to get the raised affect. You can see and feel all the bumps and folds.

The spots of color are where I used resists, which are areas where I have preserved an earlier paint layer. Once all the paint layers are applied, I remove the resists and hand sand each piece. The sanding takes a lot of work but it is the only way I can get just the right amount of colored layers to come through.

My modern metal art is mounted on a wood panel. It hangs from a wire and hook just like a canvas. The sides are finished in black.

Keywords: metal wall decor, modern metal art, metal wall art