Rob Satterwhite

I work with raw steel, and transform the materials to bring out the simple beauty and inherent strength of the metal through my outdoor garden and patio sculptures. The detailed journey from rusty, crude material, involves many steps like cleaning, grinding, burning, cutting, and polishing. Tools like a plasma cutter and chemicals like muriatic acid are just part of my world.  I transitioned from the high tech world of Microsoft to this hands-on vocation, as a wonderful outlet for my creativity. Working with these large, strong, heavy pieces that feel "rooted" to the earth, allows me to incorporate natural themes and breathe life into the polished (or rusty) hard surface of the metal.

I enjoy creating square metal towers, garden fountains, and panels, with designs like branches and birds, floral themes, a detailed "Octopus Garden," koi, butterflies, and more. In addition I offer indoor steel art wall pieces that showcase the grinding patterns of the steel in various designs like Seattle skylines, and layered birch tree scenes with birds. The finish on my work is either polished to show gorgeous patterns in the steel, or creatively rusted for a simple finish, or painted to add the dimension of color.