Modern Metal Wall Art – Metal Artist Cherie Haney

If you want to know more about Cherie Haney (that’s me), the artist behind Art & Element, you’re in the right place! You will learn a little about my process and my academic and professional journey that led me to this point.

You can also find contact information, photos of my team at Art & Element, and some press materials.

About Cherie Haney

^{My work draws from the balance of opposing forces coming together to form a harmonious whole. I aim to achieve bold, expressive lines that create patterns, each patterned layer working in contrast, struggling to set itself apart yet finding completion within the whole.}
Cherie Haney

Cherie Haney smiling for the camera at her welding station

Cherie Haney fitting metal pieces into an attractive design

Cherie Haney laying out a wall sculpture in process

Biography

Metal has always been my calling, beginning with jewelry in high school. Considering myself fortunate to have found my passion so early in life, I earned a scholarship to study at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. I went on to earn my BFA from Eastern Michigan University in 1993. Then I followed my academic studies with a five year apprenticeship, under a professional artist, honing technical skills and learning the business of selling my work. I began selling my work at art fairs in 1997 and continue to travel to shows across the country. Now I have realized my dream of working as a professional artist, and I feel fortunate that I can work out of my own studio in Ann Arbor.

My Process

I draw original patterns and then digitize them so I can use a hydro-abrasive cutter to intricately cut each image into metal. The metal is then surfaced by hand for a satin reflective sheen and/or patinated with acids to create unique colors and textural enhancements. Various elements are then layered and spaced apart using hardware or welding techniques. Each work has two to four layers. The surface of each layer is developed to create contrast and set it apart from the next layer, while remaining aesthetically united. I use elements such as copper, leather, and other media in the background surfaces to achieve this effect.

My Inspiration

My work draws from the balance of opposing forces coming together to form a harmonious whole. An example of my inspiration would be the dilapidation and industrial decay existing in Detroit as a backdrop to the city’s historic art deco skyscrapers. Other important influences are aerial land maps, graffiti art, modernist architecture and bio-medical illustrations.

How does hydro-abrasive (waterjet) cutting work?

This is a computer-aided machining process that cuts through material with a very high pressure jet of water mixed with garnet. For more information, here is a great article about the process and the tools.