Steve Mason and his mate were sitting on a couch one day drinking beer when Steve came up with the idea of using stainless to turn his mate's wall into a work of art.
Steve's mate had just purchased a new unit with a large sea green wall. As the pair sat staring at the wall, Steve got an idea that would change his life ..... and complement his mate's wall.
"He wanted something to hang on the wall to break up the space, so I made him a school of eight mackerel," Mason said.
A boilermaker from Woodford, Queensland, Mason loves to go fishing and is inspired by pictures of fish in magazines, but soon found that choosing the right material was important.
"I heated some stainless to colour it and left it aside for about 18 months. When I found it again and noticed the colours had not faded significantly, I decided to make fish out of 316."
"The colours that appear and the sheen and lustre of 316 really suits fish" Mason said.
Working closely with fish photos and sketches, Mason tries to capture distinguishing features of each species including bream, barramundi, whiting, coral trout, marlin and many more.
Mason sources stainless steel scrap from ASSDA member Smorgon Steel Recyclers (Metalcorp, Hemmant - Queensland) and purchases grade 316 stainless steel sheet from ASSDA member Midway Metals (Queensland) to create many of his art sculptures.
Steve Mason now works full-time creating stainless steel fish art under the trading name of Masosa and sells his art through mailorder catalogue and in person at the Eumundi Markets, Queensland every Saturday morning.
Ranging from $145 to $3,000 in price, Steve's art now complements walls in cafes, fish and chip shops, art galleries and beside home pools. Best of all, it is the perfect present for one wall (or every wall) of any fishing fanatic.
This article featured in Australian Stainless magazine - Issue 29, September 2004.
