POULSBO — Bill Wentworth has always been amazed by how a simple sheet of metal can be transformed to serve different purposes — as the body of a race car, a piece of equipment vital to the construction of building, or, as he is now exploring, as an art form.
“What really fascinates me is metal sculpture in the fact it’s unique,†he said.
Wentworth recently opened Sterling Design in Poulsbo and works out of his finished garage, which is pretty much full of machinery.
The equipment on hand is similar to what one would find in a car metal fabrication shop, including a mechanical hammer he utilizes to shape flat sheets of metal into curved pieces. One of the exceptions to the other technological advances seen in the shop — one which Wentworth is extremely proud of — is his homemade English Wheel that he runs off manpower.
“What I like about it (is) it’s quiet, it’s smooth,†he said as he ran a piece of metal beneath the wheel.
The materials and processes Wentworth employs to create his works are similar to what others use in making handmade gas tanks and similar pieces for customized cars and motorcycles.
“You are trying to develop the same end result,†he said.
Wentworth became interested in metal work when he was a child, as he became fascinated by the handiwork that went into the custom-made bodies of Italian and British racing cars.
“I’d always been intrigued by that process,†he said.
In his adult life, he studied drafting and the machine trade, including spending a decade running a company that specialized in metal fabrication of parts for buildings. Wentworth studied design in college but it wasn’t until recently that he started focusing on the medium in a different form — as art and sometimes, functional. One piece he completed recently was a pod-like fire pit with a mesh screen cover. It has an aesthetic appeal for the deck while also serving a purpose.
Wentworth is invigorated by the shapes produced by Mother Nature. The most recent inspiration came from the noxious weed scotchbroom. He said he wants to recreate the heart shape flowers in a sculpture and incorporate a water fountain feature.
“It’s a complicated shape there,†he said.
Shapes in nature, like seashells, provide many of the ideas for his work.
“You just see beautiful artwork in natural objects — just see it as a potential sculpture,†he said.
Wentworth’s materials come from a steel supply house in Tacoma. He studied at the California College of Arts and Crafts and has a degree in sculpture and industrial design from San Jose State.
He said he would like to start doing commissioned pieces and public sculptures and has been approached by developers for such items. He would also like to participate in open studio tours and get involved in local art associations.
Wentworth said he realizes people don’t have room for life-size standalone metal sculptures, so he would like to specialize in large wall hangings. His speciality is weatherproof stainless steel and bronze, but he also works with steel, aluminum, copper, brass and other metals.
