Chris Bathgate: Machinist Sculptor

Secret Archive: 

Welcome to the Secret Archive! A lot of people ask me how I got my start as a metal sculptor and how I found my way into machine work. In a past life, long before machining became so central to my process, I spent most of my time with a torch in my hand, bending and shaping steel with a welder and an angle grinder. My earliest works were all free-form welded in steel.

 

Below are some images of these early steel pieces. Hopefully this archive will provide a little more insight into the origins of my current aesthetic instincts. Enjoy! 

 

NB: All of these images have been restored from old 35mm slides, so please excuse any lack of fidelity.