My grandfather passed away years ago and left me $100, I bought a cutting torch and started cutting steel pictures. My Dad had a welder. I have been artist all of my life. The meal ticket job I had for 29 years was teaching severely Behavior Disordered teenagers, helped a bunch of them(retired). In 1988 a buddy of mine moved to town, we've known each other since grade school, he grew up in a rock hound family and making jewelry. We started hanging out and I would look over his shoulder while working on jewelry. I thought to myself "I can do that" so I did. It fascinated me to learn that I could make a piece and then make a mold of it and then make multiple copies identical to the original(Lost Wax Casting). Previously, I had spent 10 or 20 hours on one of a kinds, now I could do the 10 or 20 hours and make duplicates, exciting. The first pieces I did were the Red tail hawk and the Hummingbird, in wax, then cast, then made a mold, then made another just like the other. Been doing it since. And yes I still make steel sculptures, my yard is full of 8 and 10 foot tall sculptures. It's fun!