What can you make with stainless steel? For sculptor Steve Blaylock, the possibilities range from tiny insects to enormous birds, giant lizards – and just about everything in between.

At metals4U, we get to see our metal used for all kinds of projects.

Some customers are repairing, replacing or improving something around the home. Others fabricate components, work on engineering projects, or bring ambitious designs to life.

Then some take a piece of metal and turn it into something you might never have imagined.

Sculpture artist Steve Blaylock is one of them.

We are proud to sponsor Steve and supply stainless steel for his incredible sculptures. Over the years, his work has shown how much can be achieved when creativity, craftsmanship, and the right materials come together.

And recently, Steve created something especially for us.

Using stainless steel supplied by metals4U, he made an intricate owl sculpture – complete with outstretched wings, individual feathers, talons and some seriously impressive metalwork.

We think you will agree, it is quite a transformation.

Meet Steve Blaylock

Steve's sculptures are inspired by the creation that surrounds us.

Whether we are living, working or spending time in the countryside or the city, nature is never very far away. This natural world, and what Steve describes as the ever-present fingerprint of the creator, inspires his sculptural ideas.

As a result, his portfolio contains an extraordinary variety of subjects.

From the humble beetle to the majestic oak, Steve recreates the shapes, structures and character of the natural world in metal. And while some of his pieces are relatively small, others are anything but.

Steve has created almost life-size dragonflies, 30-foot lizards, owls with 16-foot wingspans and spiders that look big enough to carry you away.

It's an impressive body of work, but what's particularly interesting to us is the material at its heart.

Turning stainless steel into art

We usually think of stainless steel in practical terms.

It's a material used across fabrication, engineering, construction, manufacturing, DIY and countless other applications. Put that same material into Steve's hands, however, and it takes on an entirely different character.

Sections of stainless steel become feathers. Rods and smaller components form legs and structural details. Individual pieces are cut, shaped and joined together until something that started as raw metal begins to resemble a living creature.

Look at the sculpture as a whole, and you immediately see the bird, standing with its wings spread wide. Get closer, and you begin to appreciate the individual pieces of metal and the work that's gone into creating it. The wings are constructed from numerous individual stainless steel feathers, arranged to give them shape and movement. More pieces form the distinctive features around the owl's eyes and face, while the body, legs and talons demonstrate the fabrication involved in bringing everything together.

It is creative, but there's also plenty of problem-solving involved – working out how individual pieces of metal can be transformed, assembled and engineered to create the finished sculpture.

That's something we can appreciate at metals4U.

A special delivery for metals4U

As a sponsor of Steve's work, we are always interested in seeing what he's working on next.

But his latest creation was particularly close to home.

Steve created an owl entirely from stainless steel supplied by metals4U, giving us a clear example of his work. With its wings fully extended and its eyes looking straight ahead, it's certainly not something you can easily miss. What we particularly like, though, is that you can still see the material behind the sculpture. Steve hasn't tried to disguise the fact that it's metal. Instead, the properties, finishes, shapes and individual pieces of stainless steel all become part of the design.

It is a brilliant example of taking a material designed to be worked with and asking a simple question: What else could I make with this?

Celebrating the people who make things

That is a question our customers answer every day. One of the best things about supplying metal is knowing that what leaves us as a length of tube, a piece of sheet, a bar or another component is only the beginning of the story.

What happens next depends on the person buying it.

It could become part of a garden project. A piece of furniture. A repair to a classic vehicle. A fabrication project. Something needed for work. Or, as Steve demonstrates, a stainless steel owl.

Proud to support Steve's work

We are delighted to sponsor Steve and supply the stainless steel that helps him keep creating his sculptures. Supporting his work is also a chance for us to celebrate craftsmanship, creativity and making – values that sit naturally alongside what we do at metals4U.

The finished owl now gives us a permanent reminder of that relationship and, perhaps more importantly, of what's possible with the materials we supply.

So, a huge thank you to Steve for creating it for us. We can't wait to see what he makes next.

Feeling inspired? Explore our stainless steel range and see where your next project takes you.

…when you need it!