Atlanta’s Mike Sluder is widely recognized for his striking bronze centerpieces, sculpture and copper wall panels that can instantly transform a space.
My background: I grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, and earned a fine arts degree from East Carolina University with a concentration in sculpture. After graduation in 2006, I worked at a large bronze foundry in Florida, where I learned bronze casting at a professional level and quickly became the head patina artist and assistant metal shop manager.
In 2008, I moved to Atlanta to work at the Inferno Art Foundry, where I was the head patina artist and metal shop manager. Eventually, I transitioned full time to Mike Sluder Metalworks, which officially started in 2015.
Where you have seen my work: Although I mostly sell to private collectors, I have work in hotels in Atlanta and galleries across the Southeast, including Gallery 23ten in Atlanta.
Claim to fame: Some of my work is featured in the new movie "Game Night," which was filmed in Atlanta.
What's popular: Bronze bowls as centerpieces ($1,400 to $3,200) for a dining room or coffee table; sculptural bronze pieces ($2,000 to $10,000) that are featured independently or on prominent shelves in clients' homes; and copper wall pieces ($350 to $2,200) for those who have wall space and want something unique.
Hardest parts of my job: Bronze casting and metal fabrication are very dirty and labor-intensive processes. The physical nature of my job keeps me fully engaged in my art, but it often makes for sore muscles and fatigue.
… and best parts of my job: The patina process, where I apply the chemicals with a torch. Also meeting new people and building relationships with people who love my art.
Inspiration for my designs: The material, and pushing its limits. I am drawn to the juxtaposition between the strength of metal and the fragility of my forms.
Design pet peeves: Awkward compositions or general poor craftsmanship, such as ugly welds or seams that don't match.
Current design obsession: Experimenting with different ways black patinas can create more dramatic distinctions in bronze and copper.
New (or re-emerging) designs I like: Minimalism. I think it is the most difficult aesthetic to achieve in art.
Most unusual requests:
1. Create a bronze key ring in the shape of a human ear. It had a hole in the earlobe for the keyring, so it would look like a piercing. To ensure I got it right, I ended up taking a mold of a friend's ear to start the process.
2. Another buyer, a doctor, wanted a shallow bronze bowl he could hang on the wall. The bowl was the silhouette of a face. He wanted me to do the patina to show the brain and brain stem.
Dream project: Seems a bit out of left field for those who don't know me, but since I was a kid, I have wanted to design a shoe for Nike.
Latest projects: A large outdoor mobile for a client's home near Piedmont Park and a steel fireplace surround for a local homebuilder.
Up next: Showing my work at several art shows in the Southeast, including:
• American Craft Council Show in Atlanta (March 16-18)
• Atlanta Dogwood Festival (April 13-15)
• Decatur Arts Festival (May 25-27)
Find Mike Sluder Metalworks:
- Website: Sluderart.com
- Facebook: Mike Sluder Metalworks LLC
- Instagram: mikesluder_metalworks
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