Steve Grater’s love affair with metal as fine art began with traditional blacksmithing, and his skills include jewelry making, vessel forming, repoussé and bronze casting. In 1992, Steve studied blacksmithing at Turley Forge, NM, after which he assisted sculptor Jerry Harris at The Village Blacksmith in Tucson, AZ, for more than a decade. Public exhibitions of Steve’s work include the Tubac Center for the Arts in Tubac, AZ; the Jewish Community Center’s Jill Rosenzweig Memorial Sculpture Garden in Tucson, AZ; Moab ArtTrails sculpture walk in Moab, UT; the Reno-Tahoe International Art show in Reno, NV; Sculpture Tucson; Tohono Chul Gallery in Tucson, AZ; and the Tubac Presidio with the Arizona Artists Blacksmith Association. Steve is exclusively represented in Tubac, AZ by Más y Más Gallery. He owns and operates a studio in Tucson, AZ.
Herald – 2025
$9,800.00 – 83” x 20.5” x 20.5” – Stainless Steel
Sponsored by Southern Utah Wine Guild
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Comprised of five stacked asymmetrical welded stainless steel boxes that twist upward, “Herald” has a columnar form and stands tall and confident, evoking the pomp and circumstance of knights in gleaming armor, portending an abundant future and proudly announcing good things to come. “Herald” represents Steve Grater’s foray into large-scale hollow form metal technique using the hydraulic press he made to dish and cup sheet metal into complex shapes.
Previous Entries
Transmuting – 2024
$7,500 – 98” X 25.5” X 21” – Steel and stainless
My dynamic abstract sculptures evoke organic forms, incorporating metalworking techniques of blacksmithing, jewelry making, vessel forming and repoussé. The heat, pressure, mechanical processing and manipulation with which I form ferrous and nonferrous metal into pleasing shapes are palpable in my visually impactful sculptures. For me, sculpting is a “full-contact sport” in which I practice respectful conflict with seemingly unyielding material – a negotiation that finishes in the harmonious embodiment of strength, exuberance and beauty. I’ve been following my passion for metal art since the early 1990s, culminating in a career as a sculptor. My work has been exhibited publicly and purchased for private collections throughout the western United States. Prior to becoming a full-time artist, I worked as a wildland firefighter with the Federal government while owning a shop, and making and selling artistic, creative, and functional metal art to clients.
