A sculptor from South Dakota is immortalizing the cultural heritage of the land he loves by turning rusted scrap metal and old farming equipment into breathtaking, life-sized works of art.
John Lopez, 51, lives on a 14-acre hobby ranch in Lemmon, South Dakota, the town where he was born and raised. Besides his two (breathing) horses, Lopez’s ranch is home to a welding shop where he works on sculptural livestock and wildlife commissions full-time.
Animals are at the forefront of his work. He renders everything from bison to bucking broncos, from tigers to T-rexes. He told The Epoch Times, “Whether it’s a whale or an octopus, a wolf or a bison, I’m really inspired by nature and by living creatures….