Scrap Metal Dinosaurs Stomp into Museum's Gardens

When those folks see an item that might appeal to Lewis, they set it aside and save it for him.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): In a tangled pile of rebar and wire, Dale Lewis saw a nest for pterodactyl chicks. A retired chain hoist that was too mangled for function, he thought, could become stubby Tyrannosaurus rex arms. Dinner forks and screws, too, have the potential to resemble the teeth of bygone beasts.

What began as a casual retirement hobby has grown to much more for Lewis, a Minnesota artist who uses scrap metal and junkyard objects to fashion imaginative renditions of prehistoric creatures and beyond.

“I never realized I would enjoy — or be able to figure out — making these things,” Lewis said, “but it turns out it’s a lot of fun.”

Lewis’ traveling exhibition called “Scraposaurs” has roared into the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, marking its East Coast debut. The towering dinosaurs and ancient creatures range in size from 300-pound Dino, modeled after the pet in “The Flintstones,” to an 1,800-pound T. rex. They sit along the twists and turns of the MSV’s garden paths, ripe for viewing by those of all ages.

“We’re excited because we feel like this is a real family-friendly exhibit,” said Julie Armel, the MSV’s deputy director of marketing and communications.

The sculptures will remain in place through mid-October. Throughout the spring, summer and early fall, the MSV plans to host many dinosaur-themed educational programs.

Lewis concurred that this specific collection tends to attract dino-loving children. Asked why he chose to create dinosaur sculptures, he replied, “I’m kind of a kid, I guess.”

Since picking up the artistic hobby in retirement about 15 years ago, Lewis has made more than 150 sculptures of varying subject matter and form. Most have humorous names, and all are designed from recycled items.

His yard in Minnesota is littered with impressive structures, making a permanent sculpture garden where many pieces come and go as they are sold or taken to traveling exhibits like “Scraposaurs.”

“All this is a surprise to me and to Carol,” Lewis said, referring to his wife. “We never really dreamt that our house, our yard, was going to become a destination. And it really has.”

On warm days, three to four cars swing by — “gawkers,” as Lewis calls them — to see if anything fresh has popped up in the yard. Some take a slow drive-by, while others stop to chat with Lewis, who doesn’t mind the company.

While there’s not a deep meaning stored in his art, Lewis said the meaningful part comes from viewer entertainment, as well as potentially giving them a fun fact they hadn’t known before.

“Mostly, I want them to walk away with a smile on their face,” Lewis said.

In terms of fun facts, he said that the woolly rhinoceros was a real animal, which many people are surprised to learn, Lewis said. Scientists estimate that it went extinct likely around 10,000 years ago — which is more recent than the dinosaurs.

Lewis’ woolly rhino statue is 900 pounds, true to size and on display in the MSV gardens with the other prehistoric animals. It’s fashioned from salvaged steel, with stainless steel horns, and covered with 450 pounds of tire wire for the copper-colored hair. The hair appears soft and flexible at first glance, despite being made of tough materials.

“I encourage everyone to give the sculpture thing a try,” he said, “because I get so much joy out of it and I think other people would too. Everyone says, ‘Well, I wouldn’t know where to start.’ Well, you know, I start at the feet and you build it up.”

His materials come from friends in the airline industry, farmers and junkyard workers who he has come to know. When those folks see an item that might appeal to Lewis, they set it aside and save it for him.

On Lewis’ end, sometimes he develops the idea for a sculpture from looking at a rusted tractor, old fuel tank or leftover chain link. Other times, he jumps to work on a concept, then finds himself searching for the perfect pieces.

It takes him a few months to complete one sculpture, though it depends on the size. He’s developed multiple sculpture-building techniques that are posted on his website for those looking to learn.

“It’s not like he’s trained in art or anything like that, but I think just the way his mind works, he can build something from the inside out,” said Carol Lewis as she passed a pterodactyl with an 18-foot wingspan.

The sculptures can fetch a high dollar when a city, person, business or organization wishes to purchase one. A twisting, stainless-steel Chinese dragon that took up Lewis’ whole workshop and took about eight months to finish is worth $85,000. Smaller, simpler works are priced around $2,500.

The artist’s personal favorite creation, though, remains at home, out on the deck. It’s a bullfrog sculpture named Fernando that opens into a charcoal grill, which Lewis uses to cook dinner “all the time.”

“I’m always amazed how he captures personality in metal,” said Mecca Page, Lewis’ art representative. “They have expression in their eyes and that’s something that’s kind of hard to do with [a pile of scrap].”

 Courtesy: www.nvdaily.com

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