As a native Arizonan, John Wilhelm's drawings and paintings often depict the heritage, landscapes and animals of the region. He's a prolific self-taught artist who works in acrylic, pencil, ink and scratchboard etchings, but most often in sculptures crafted from steel and stone. These pieces are usually "found object" art comprised of used, discarded and recycled industrial or automotive parts. These sculptures are frequently whimsical animal figures incorporating natural rock and rusty steel and are extremely durable as outdoor art. Thanks to the nature of the materials used, no two pieces are identical and every piece has a unique character which can rarely be duplicated. The techniques employed to build these pieces range from traditional blacksmith methods to modern welding practices. John's figures using railroad spikes originated in the 1970's and evolved into the stone and steel sculptures of today, and can be found in private collections from coast to coast.
