Matt Crane, an artist from New York, stokes the furnace filled with molten iron. Crane, along with several associates, demonstrated how to smelt and pour molten iron Saturday. They use the metal to create innovative artwork.
As great as heavy metal artists Black Sabbath, Metallica and Iron Maiden are, contemporary sculptor and artist Matt Crane can give them all a run for their money.
Although he is a resident of New York City and does not use the same instruments as the mentioned artists, Crane found himself in Stillwater putting on a heavy metal show unlike any other.
After giving a brief lecture Friday afternoon concerning his experiences as an artist, Crane woke up early Saturday morning to begin heating up the chilled Oklahoma air.
While a majority of OSU students spent their Saturday morning sleeping in, Crane attempted to transform 2,000 pounds of iron metal into several different works of art.
The magnitude of such a process is difficult to describe, but Crane simply said casting iron is “smoky hot.”
“It’s a lot of fire and a lot of fun,” Crane said.
Using a 7-foot tall handmade cupola furnace that was crafted here at OSU, Crane set the Visual Arts Annex ablaze.
Clad in the manliest apron imaginable, Crane and several OSU student assistants placed chunks of iron into the furnace, which “reached up to about 2,600 degrees,” Crane said.
But Crane didn’t use just any pieces of iron.
Most of the iron was “donated [from around] the Stillwater community,” Crane said. “We broke up bathtubs, sinks and radiator parts, [which is] true Stillwater iron.”
Once the iron was melted, it shot out of the bottom of the furnace like a miniature volcano.
There to catch the molten iron was a ladle resembling a bucket with lightning rods for handles, which made it simple to transport the molten iron into casts.
Those in attendance were in constant awe during this process.
Spectators were allowed to take part in the iron casting by purchasing scratch blocks that would be made into iron plates by Crane and his crew.
OSU alumna Elaina Mullins participated in selling the scratch blocks, which “[allowed] one to get a little taste of the whole experience,” she said.
The entire process was a spectacle to behold.
Adam Labe, OSU art professor and personal friend of Crane, said the day was a complete success.
“All of my intermediate and advanced sculpture students had the opportunity to be involved on a primary level,” Labe said.
Labe also pointed out that only 1,000 pounds of iron was cast Saturday afternoon.
Although well short of the 2,000-pound goal, Crane still made a monumental impression on the Stillwater art community by giving students a chance to be involved.
Crane attributes his success to the gods of metal.
“It’s alchemy, the black arts, the Iron Age, and it’s everything,” he said. “If the metal gods are on your side, you will have a successful casting.”
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Awesome picture by Michael Bevers!