Original Metal
Sculpture by
D • R • FICKAS
Found. Forged. Reimagined.
Metal Sculpture Born from Steel, Salvage, and Imagination.
Art created from scrap steel, found objects, and reimagined materials, creating a cohesive metal sculpture.
“I like taking something that was discarded and giving it another life.”
Forged with Purpose
The sculptures begin as overlooked metal and take shape through heat, instinct, and hand fabrication.
Found
I get raw material for my sculptures from a number of places. One of them is along the roadsides and train tracks where I walk and sometimes pick up litter.
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Forged
Joining steel pieces usually uses welding processes, which involve either an oxygen- and gas-fueled torch (in this case, acetylene) or an electric arc welder.
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Reimagined
Reimagining the scrap, cast-off, and found objects into something abstract or representational usually starts with a theme.
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Featured Work by
D • R • FICKAS
These selected works offer a glimpse into the world of metal sculpture. Explore the full gallery to see more.
Forged from Reinvention
The story of a Santa Paula sculptor transforming discarded metal into original works of resilience, imagination, and renewal.
D•R•FICKAS is a Santa Paula metal sculptor whose work is shaped by resilience, reinvention, and a lifelong eye for possibility. After earlier careers as a construction electrician, graphic artist, and owner of a video transfer business, DR found a new creative path in retirement by transforming scrap steel, rusty castoffs, and found objects into original sculptural pieces. Often gathered while hiking, walking roadsides, or volunteering to pick up litter, these discarded materials become the foundation for abstract forms, whimsical figures, and recognizable objects. Working with torch and instinct, DR brings new life to forgotten metal — creating art that is rugged, imaginative, and unmistakably his own.
