Restoring “Celebration” - A Sculpture by Bruce A. Neimi
When we received a call that a potential client wanted to bring in a sculpture to have us piece it back together, our interest was piqued. Unfortunately, it turned out to be too large to fit in the client’s car, so we sent our skilled fabricators, Kai and Jimmy out to take a look. As we have said before, “at McLean Forge and Welding we like to take on a challenge and do not claim to be art restorers in the technical sense”, but we were excited to have another opportunity to take on a project that truly brought life back into an otherwise ruined piece of art. This time for a lively sculpture by Bruce A. Niemi. His piece “Celebration” adorned this client's outside deck and had tragically fallen over and became damaged during the fierce winds here in Boulder, CO.
Upon arrival the client asked, “Are you an artist?” Apparently his impression of welders in general was far more industrial and he was relieved to find that our team was in fact artistically inclined. Luckily for him most of our welders blend their artistic knowledge with the multitude of skills they possess to be able to tackle any project that is presented to them. Kai especially “enjoys these types of projects and sees it as an opportunity to grant new life to something that was a snapshot of its time and preserve the hard work of an artisan that came before [her]”.
Initially we were told the sculpture was stainless steel and that we could put it back as best as we could, sounds easy enough. However, the way the sculpture had fallen and become bent made it such that the broken welds were not easy puzzle pieces to put back together. When “Celebration” finally made its way into the shop our team put their heads together and upon inspection, one of our owners, Ray Tuomey found a small engraving of what looked to be a signature. Come to find out "Niemi B” was etched into the surface and we reached out via his website to gain more information. His wife returned our query and shared original photos of the sculpture for reference and also informed us the artist had passed away this last year in August from metal toxicity after a 47-year career in large scale public art
Bruce A. Niemi was a second-generation sculptor, taught by his father Frank L. Niemi (an ornamental iron artist and self- taught sculptor). His father had a huge impact on his style and craftsmanship, as well as taught him to look at the world differently than most. Niemi’s artist statement claims “[his] sculptures are derived from [his] deep-rooted faith, [his] love for God who gave [him] this gift of creativity and the beauty and wonder of the heavens and earth He created”. Which is a sentiment that Kai shares and wanted to honor in this project she was to undertake.
From here on out this became more than just a quick fix. Kai said she felt she “owed it to [Niemi] and his vision to bring the same amount of energy and precision to the project”. To make sure things were just so, she spent time studying his reference photos in order to accurately recreate his vision. She also evaluated the material, which turned out to be bronze with a stainless steel base, adding another layer of uniqueness to the project. Along with the help of Ray and Jimmy’s artistic eyes they were able to determine that the wind had done a number on the shape and movement of the sculpture, bending it in an organic yet unintentional way. Therefore, Kai took to applying heat and other methods in order to recurve the sculpture back to its original form. Repairs were made only to the damaged portions of the sculpture and all welds and grind marks were finished off in the same style as before. After our work was completed, we recommended a new patina treatment at Bronze Services of Loveland, to round out the restoration process and bring this sculpture back to life.
In the end, we were pleased to be able to properly restore “Celebration” to all of its glory. We are thankful that we had the opportunity to mindfully honor its past, and ensure its future in the mountains of Colorado. Upon reinstallation the homeowner was thrilled to see his sculpture nestled in a corner of his living room, surrounded by large windows and other fantastic artwork.
Post by: Hannah Cole