Beno Coleman Metal Sculpture
Beno Coleman’s alchemy is in breathing new life into discarded mild steel, most often with a mask and torch. A tow-truck driver for Colson’s Towing by day, Coleman is often knee deep in scrap metal, but to the tinkerer-by-trade, the twisted metals are materials from which to make sculptures, furnishings, doodads, or whatever else Coleman fancies. “I’m inspired by the possibility to produce something that nobody else has ever seen,” he says. The heavy metal furnishings at Island Brewing Company were cut and welded by Coleman. He has crafted metal into everything from a samurai warrior statue, which he values so much he put a $20,000 price tag on it, to tools that he uses every day at the garage. “I have fun with [my art] – a lot of fun, almost to the point where it’ll cost me my job,” he says. Selected works can be viewed at 910 Maple Gallery in Carpinteria. ◆
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