Sam Briseño, Lincoln County metal sculptor, who has been crafting in steel for three decades, exhibits “Sam Briseño Designs in Steel.” Watch the video that accompanies his exhibit below:
Objects in this exhibit illustrate the surprising versatility of the medium of metal craft in his hands. Function and form come together in the fireplace tool set, gracefully capped with a calla lily motif.
Early training as a millwright gave Briseño his foundation in the craft of cutting, welding and forging steel and other metals. Inspiration then led him to work that combines beautiful artistry with long-lasting functional use.
His figurative abstract subjects pay homage to Picasso and David Smith, who are principal among many artists that Briseño has admired and from whom he’s drawn inspiration.
Briseño uses the tools of a craftsman with the eye of an artist. He has created many commissioned projects.
A series of Briseño’s commissioned public art benches can be found in Toledo and Newport. To date, there are 13 art benches, as well as the larger-than-life-sized octopus at the donation station at Hatfield Marine Research Center. “The Ambassador,” a 21-foot public sculpture, has been greeting visitors to Newport’s coastal Don Davis Park near the Newport Performing Arts Center since 2005.
Briseño currently works at in his studio in an industrial building on the edge of Toledo, and exhibits his work downtown at Gallery Briseño along with the work of other local artists.