Steve Grater

Tucson, AZ

Since 2022, Steve Grater’s direct metal abstract sculptures have been raising eyebrows and loosening pocketbooks in the U.S. The heat, pressure, and mechanical processing with which he fabricates ferrous and nonferrous metal into clastic and anti-clastic forms using self-made tools are palpable in his visually impactful work. Prior to becoming an autodidact artist, Steve had a 30-year career chasing wildfires in spectacular natural settings, which influenced the organic shapes expressed in his sculptures. Steve learned technical skills by studying blacksmithing with Frank Turley and bronze casting with Tom Barringer and assisting Jerry Harris, and ran his own business forging and selling artistic and functional blacksmith art. In midlife, Steve retired from wildland firefighting, married his muse, and embarked on a second career as a full-time sculptor. Steve’s passion for metalworking and techniques used in making jewelry, vessel forming and repoussé inform the aesthetic of his sculptural work. Steve’s sculptures are placed at the Tucson Jewish Community Center and in public sculpture walks in Moab and St. George, Utah, and Lafayette, Colorado. His work is represented in dozens of private collections.

Steve is represented in southern Arizona by Más y Más Gallery in Tubac.

See more work:

stevegratersculpture.com