Cindy Chinn, Chester artist, has been turning scrap metal into a range of artwork for more than seven years. During that time she has amassed an interesting collection of metal parts and pieces, as well as thousands of saws. Part of this ongoing collection is silverware, which she collects in five gallon buckets for future projects. Unlike normal people, artists don't consider that behavior as hoarding.

The perfect opportunity to use the cutlery came when Carla Frye of Hebron, commissioned a life size sandhill crane as a 25th wedding anniversary (silver) gift for her brother and sister-in-law, Chris and Ronda Frye. She quickly accepted the challenge. It was time for Chinn to free up a few buckets and make that cutlery project she had always wanted to make.

The sculpture ended up taking almost a year to complete as a number of things interrupted Chinn's schedule, including building a larger metal studio in the former Chester school gym using old hangar doors that she got from the Hebron Airport. Her original welding shop was in the garage, behind the former Chester school building and was too small to create a sculpture of this size.

The crane project started in August of 2021 with the feet and legs, which are made from rebar. A texture was added using mig welds which are drawn onto the rebar to create scales, then they are ground down for the final effect. Once the legs were built, she created a frame for the body out of more rebar, and then the cutlery could be added. This was a delicate and time consuming process as knives, spoons, forks or cut-off handles were attached for each individual 'feather' (and a life size bird has a lot of feathers). Approximately 1,600 pieces of silverware were used in the creation of the crane sculpture. Many were heated and bent into shape to create the proper details and flow.

It wasn't until May of this year that Chinn was able to finish the body and add the head, which was made from an adjustable wrench which was cut in half diagonally. When it came time to make the wings, Chinn was concerned she might not have enough utensils to complete the project. She sent out a request for anyone who had excess silverware or time to hunt it down in the flea markets and thrift stores. Within a couple of weeks, and the help of local friends, she had what she hoped was enough to finish them, and it was."The last big wing feather came out of my kitchen drawer!" laughed Chinn. When it was done, she had freed up six 5-gallon buckets of silverware and has three buckets of scraps left. Not nearly enough to make another one, yet!

Unlike many metal sculptors, Chinn does not sketch out her designs as a blueprint to follow. She works from photo references and a ruler to design 'on the fly.' She said, "I need the freedom to make adjustments as I build and see the piece come to life. Just a slight bend in one feather can create or disrupt the flow of the design." In this case, the dancing crane needed to appear in motion from all angles, so Chinn's approach and her attention to detail served her well.

On June 19, Chinn held an open house in her new welding studio to give people a chance to see the crane sculpture before it flew off to its new home in Hebron. This was also a chance for visitors to see other work she had made, including her in-progress peacock sculpture. Also on display was the new Phoenix sculpture she had begun that week as well as a new line of saw art. The event was well attended and guests were excited to see the work scheduled for global destinations from this small Nebraska town.

"Oneida," as she was named, migrated north to Hebron to be installed in a residential garden in mid-July. She looked resplendent as she reflected the many colors around her. Although Chinn was sad to see her leave the studio, she was quickly back at work on her Phoenix sculpture, which has saw blades instead of cutlery used for its larger feathers.

"I learned a lot during this project," says Chinn, "and as an artist I always have to push myself to try new techniques and styles. I wish I hadn't waited so long in life to become a metal artist, because these pieces get heavy!" With her new metal studio, we can expect to see bigger projects in the future as she continues to explore this medium.

Chinn is an example of an artist who can succeed on an international stage while living in rural Nebraska. She has shipped artwork around the world and had a successful showing in Doha, Qatar in late 2019. She has been invited back for their next show later this year.