Grace, a Les Paul–style guitar welded from bicycle parts, hanging on a mossy tree in golden light

One-of-one guitars, trees and animals, welded by hand from steel that had already lived one life.

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GraceOV0006 · Les Paul–style guitar · 2025

    Worn-out chain, old gears and scrap steel, welded by hand and made new. Every piece is signed, numbered and made only once.

    The collection

    The Work

    Sparks flying as a gear is welded at the workbench
    At the bench. Every joint is welded by hand.

    The maker

    A second life for steel

    Owen Van Santen is a metal sculptor working primarily with reclaimed steel, creating hand-formed works through welding and fabrication. His practice centres on transformation: reshaping discarded materials into sculptural forms that explore resilience, renewal and the beauty of reinvention.

    Van Santen began sculpting during a four-year period of significant medical challenges, when metalwork became both a creative outlet and a means of grounding. That unexpected entry into the arts revealed a deep passion early in his life and shaped the direction of his career. The themes of rebuilding and restoration that marked his personal journey now define his artistic approach.

    Working with locally sourced, reclaimed steel, he emphasizes material history and the potential for rebirth within the discarded. Each piece is shaped entirely by hand, letting the physicality of the process guide the final form. His work reflects a commitment to sustainability, craftsmanship and the expressive possibilities of industrial materials.

    Early in his career, Van Santen continues to develop a growing body of work that bridges raw materiality with emotional narrative, inviting viewers to consider the strength and beauty that can emerge from what has been broken or cast aside.

    Signature: O. Van Santen
    OV0001 1/1 · the first numbered plaque

    How a piece is made

    From scrap to signed

    1. 01

      Salvage

      Used bike parts and scrap steel are collected, sorted and cleaned. The parts decide a lot of what comes next.

    2. 02

      Template

      Guitars are laid out on full-size templates of the real instrument. Sculptures start from sketches and reference.

    3. 03

      Build

      Each part is fitted, cut and welded one at a time. A full-size guitar takes hundreds of welds.

    4. 04

      Finish & mark

      Cleaned, sealed and fitted with an engraved plaque: signature, serial number, 1/1.

    Commissions & enquiries

    Let's talk

    Every piece is one of a kind, so there's no price list. Tell me what caught your eye or what you have in mind, and we'll work it out together.

    • Ask about a piece in the gallery
    • Commission a guitar of your own
    • Something else built from metal
    Or emailnewlifemetalworks@gmail.com

    I reply personally, usually within a few days.