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I strive to design and produce quality, detailed metal silhouettes of trains, early America and farming scenes from their earliest days through the present time. These art pieces and scenes depict the different types of implements that have been used on the rails, in the towns and on farms over the last 150 years. They range from the use of horse power through steam power to today's large diesel engines and 4-WD tractors. They have all contributed and continue to play an essential role in the development of transportation, agriculture and small town America.

I have been collecting steam engine and tractor art, books, manuals, wrenches and other related items for a number of years. It was natural to combine an interest in historical equiment and implements with modern CNC plasma torch steel cutting technology to create those types of items in metal. The silhouettes are original art based on photos I have taken over time as well as other historical references.

Just watching these implements in action lets you see that the use of steam engines and early tractors involved a lot of hard, dusty, sweaty work. This was an era long before air conditioned cabs with stereos, cell phones, air-ride seats, GPS systems and computer displays.

While we may see these implements today only at antique shows or in museums, they still evoke a sense of fascination and wonderment when seen in action. So whether you are the proud owner of one of these classic pieces of equipment or a "wanna be" like me, or someone who just admires, appreciates and loves seeing them in action, this art was made for you. I hope you enjoy the art as much as I do developing it.

All artwork is cut and finished to produce works that you would be proud to display in your home, office or to give as a gift and is available in different forms.

The artwork involves several processes as I design the detailed pieces using graphics and CADCAM programs, then cut in steel, finished, laid out, welded in 3-D scenes, sealed and mounted. Each scene is individually designed, cut and fabricated by me and therefore no two pieces are exactly the same. The thumbnail below shows the various levels of scene components. Using 3-D allows me to put additional details into the scene to make it more realistic and interesting.

The art may be mounted on a finished wood plaque or contained within metal frames. The plaques are of solid wood, routed with a molded edge, honey pine finished and sealed. The art is mounted and labeled and includes a bracket for hanging. The metal art is 3-D mounted with about a 1/4 inch offset from the plaque to give additional depth to the artwork. The metal framed art includes a circular frame around them and can be hung almost anywhere.

The silhouettes, whether mounted or within metal frames, are individually cut from 16 gage steel, buffed to a smooth bare metal finish and sealed with a clear finish. The thumbnail below shows a close up of the level of detail of the metal silhouettes.

Some of the photos of the artwork may show bright, blue tint or dark areas. This results from the difficult task of photographing bare metal with clear finishes. The sheet steel as well as the finished metal can vary between art pieces, usually from a medium to a dark gray. Therefore, no two pieces of art are exactly alike due to slight variations in the materials and the specialized work involved in the process.

Metal silhouettes can also be produced from your favorite photos, pictures or hand drawn illustrations. These may include pictures of your own steam engine, tractor or any other type of equipment of which you are especially proud.

I can also make custom sizes of these pieces for uses such as displaying them outside.They can be produced for use in the design of a walkway gate or a wide gate or overhead scene leading to your house. I can work with almost any design, style, size, metal gage or finish option you would like. Contact me and I can help you with your idea.

New pieces of art will be continually added, so I invite you to check back periodically to see what's new although the site is often not up to date due to the many new pieces of art produced.

Thank you,
Jim Kuttner