Shop Documentary Archives - Metal Sculpture Decor for Home & Office

The Odyssey was a Ray Berger original abstract metal wall art design that he sold hundreds of in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was typical of his modular type pieces that could be arranged in countless configurations to satisfy any wall space dimension.

My father left no examples of the Odyssey or templates in which I could use as a comparison so I decided that I wanted to reinvent the Odyssey but at the same time retain some of my father’s originality. The result was in my opinion a better design that is more structurally sound, easier to fabricate and more in line with today’s style.

Odyssey Large Part — “The Odyssey” – Set of One Large and One Small Section

I know that my father would be proud of what I have accomplished so far regarding the Odyssey especially regarding how the Odyssey frame was fabricated. I used the same equipment that my father used in the early 2000s but I redesigned the frame pattern so that several steps and fabrication procedures have been eliminated. Essentially the entire Odyssey Set frame is plasma cut from one 12″ x 24″ piece of 11 gauge steel.

Odyssey Plasma Cut Steel Sheet — Odyssey Plasma Pattern cut in Steel

After plasma cutting the Odyssey frames they need to be painted and formed in order to accomodate plates. This is a time consuming procedure and one needs to have an innate ability to recognize and judge 90 degree relational aspects between objects. The result is a frame that is strong and sturdy but not too heavy.

After the Odyssey frames are fabricated the next step is to prepare the plates. I use mainly .020 and .010 polished metals like chrome, brass, copper and satin. I plan to incorporate new materials like brushed and painted aluminum in the near future. Check out these videos of me working on the Odyssey in the shop.

The Odyssey is still a work in progress for that’s how I feel about all of my designs. Improvements can always be made in the artistry, the manufacturing and in the presentation. I’m happy so far and hope to continue on with the journey and find new ways of implementing the Odyssey and it’s “One Piece Frame” concept into other modular type designs. For more information on the Odyssey please visit my website https://www.metalsculpturestudio.com

fabricating metal sculpture — Brazing Kaleidoscopes

It’s been about two years since my father, Raymond Berger, passed away. It’s been a lot of work fixing up and organizing my father’;s shop and preparing to begin my own journey into pursuing metal sculpture as my new occupation.

While I have been doing metal sculpture my whole life, it hasn’t been my primary vocation. My primary job is running a martial arts and fitness facility called Baltimore Martial Arts Academy. Operating a martial arts school with over 12 employees takes a lot of responsibility and at age 51 I’m ready for a new challenge.

Before my father passed away i promised him that I was going to revive the shop and carry on the Raymond Berger Metal Sculpture name. My father never asked me to do this, I did this of my own own volition and it was something brewing inside me for the past couple of years. The picture above is my first attempt at making one of my father’s classic and very popular designs called the kaleidoscope.

The kaleidoscope is an amazing metal wall art design that captures light from any angle and from any light source. It is made of steel rods and reflective metals like chrome, copper, brass, aluminum, stainless steel and other materials. I have injected my own creativity on this design by introducing new materials and color schemes and even had my Danyelle come to the shop to offer her own arrangement.

The Kaleidoscope is a very intricate design that involves dozen of detailed fabrication procedures. Below are just a few pics that show some of the steps.

Kaleidoscope Uprights spot welded together from steel rods.

Raymond Berger was an engineer before he was a metal sculpture. As a result, everything he made was made to exact specifications and was built to last forever. Every design he made, including the kaleidoscope, could be replicated and was unpartalled by other sculptors that tried to copy him.