Metalworker’s favorite part is patina process

Atlanta’s Mike Sluder is widely recognized for his striking bronze centerpieces, sculpture and copper wall panels that can instantly transform a space.

My background :I grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, and earned a fine arts degree from East Carolina University with a concentration in sculpture. After graduation in 2006, I worked at a large bronze foundry in Florida, where I learned bronze casting at a professional level and quickly became the head patina artist and assistant metal shop manager.

In 2008, I moved to Atlanta to work at the Inferno Art Foundry, where I was the head patina artist and metal shop manager. Eventually, I transitioned full time to Mike Sluder Metalworks, which officially started in 2015.

Where you have seen my work: Although I mostly sell to private collectors, I have work in hotels in Atlanta and galleries across the Southeast, including Gallery 23ten in Atlanta.

Claim to fame: Some of my work is featured in the new movie “Game Night,” which was filmed in Atlanta.

What’s popular: Bronze bowlsasc enter pieces ($1,400 to $3,200) for a dining room or coffee table; sculptural bronze pieces ($2,000 to $10,000) that are featured independently or on prominent shelves in clients’ homes; and copper wall pieces ($350 to $2,200) for those who have wall space and want something unique.

Hardest parts of my job: Bronze casting and metal fabri- cation are very dirty and laborintensive processes. The physical nature of my job keeps me fully engaged in my art, but it often makes for sore muscles and fatigue.

… and best parts of my job: The patina process, where I apply the chemicals with a torch. Also meeting new people and building relationships with people who love my art.

Inspiration for my designs: The material, and pushing its limits. I am drawn to the juxtaposition between the strength of metal and the fragility of my forms.

Design pet peeves :Awkward compositions or general poor crafts manship, such as ugly welds or seams that don’t match.

Current design obsession: Experimenting with different ways black patinas can create more dramatic distinctions in bronze and copper.

New (or re-emerging) designs I like :Minimalism. I think it is the most difficult aesthetic to achieve in art. Most unusual requests: 1. Create a bronze key ring in the shape of a human ear. It had a hole in the earlobe for the keyring, so it would look like a piercing. To ensure I got it right, I ended up taking a mold of a friend’s ear to start the process.

2. Another buyer, a doctor, wanted a shallow bronze bowl he could hang on the wall. The bowl was the silhouette of a face. He wanted me to do the patina to show the brain and brain stem.

Dream project : Seems a bit out of left field for those who don’t know me, but since I was a kid, I have wanted to design a shoe for Nike.

Latest projects: A large outdoor mobile for a client’s home near Piedmont Park and a steel fireplace surround for a local homebuilder.

Up next: Showing my work at several art shows in the Southeast, including:

■ American Craft Council Show in Atlanta (March 16-18)

■ Atlanta Dogwood Festival (April 13-15)

■ Decatur Arts Festival (May 25-27)

CONTRIBUTED BY MARKSLUDERPHOTOGRAPHS. COM Mike Sluder, an Atlanta metal sculptor and patineur, uses a lot of fire in his very physical work. Known for hisbronzecastings and copper wall pieces, Sluder also does custom steel fabrication for homes.