Sculptor John Lopez was born and raised on a ranch in Western South Dakota. In the midst of a successful career in bronze sculpting, Lopez discovered an exciting new direction: scrap iron sculpting.

“I am never bored! I look forward to each new creation, and it is helping me grow and develop as an artist,” he says. As he John explains on his website:

This unusual detour started when his beloved aunt, Effie Hunt, died in a rollover car accident. Lopez moved to his widowed Uncle Geno Hunt’s ranch to build a family cemetery; his aunt would to be the first laid to rest there. Uncle Geno opened his home and welding shop to Lopez, who completed a fence around the cemetery, then ran out of material. The ranch is 35 miles from the nearest town or post office, so he went looking through the scrap iron on site.