Chicago artist turns scrapyard metal into breathtaking works of art

CHICAGO – One Chicago artist has made a name for herself by turning other people’s trash into coveted works of art.

Meet Lucy Slivinski, also known as Chicago’s Steel Flower, who welds salvaged bits of metal skeletons into elaborate works of art. The items she uses to make her art are all from the scrapyard.

“The scrapyard is just my favorite place. It’s just like mountains of stuff,” Slivinski said. “I want to show how I can use what people think is junk and transform it into something that didn’t exist before. A lot of my work is influenced through natural forms and nature and trees and sort of blossoms.”

Her work is a study in the rigid dichotomy between nature and man-made objects.

“There’s still that history of the object. They can recognize the parts, but I’ve made it into something completely new,” Slivinski said.

Her collection of fragile steel flowers serves as a lesson in transformation.

“You can reinvent yourself. You can rebirth yourself anytime you want,” Slivinski said. “I like that.”

More of Slivinski’s work can be found here.