Jack Stekelenburg makes metal come to life in his studio

By R. Bruce McIntyre

Staff Writer

Renfrew -- When most people drop off scrap metal at a local landfill site, they see nothing but junk piled up in a bin. But when a certain Renfrew artist sees a pile of metal objects, he sees potential and he envisions creating a modern design from whatever may pop into his creative mind.

Calling himself an artist is something that actually came late in life for Jack Stekelenburg. The majority of his adult life was spent in the construction sector both in the Ottawa Valley and Southern Ontario. He specialized in residential home building and although he enjoyed his time living in Kitchener, he realized in the late 1970s he wanted to return to his rural roots and expand his repertoire of skills.

“If you were to ask me 20 years ago if I envisioned myself as an artist, I probably would have had a good laugh,” he said while sipping in a coffee in a downtown Renfrew coffee shop. “I really enjoy building things and construction and homebuilding just seemed to come natural to me. When you build a house you really have a sense of accomplishment. One thing I have always strived for is finding joy in finishing a project.”

In 2005 he made a life-altering decision when he took a course in welding. He originally set out to create garden art blue herons, but he realized after he started welding small artifacts that he would not be satisfied with these simple items.

“I kind of lost all interest in garden art and I began a journey into abstract metal sculptures,” he said. “They were really simple pieces at first because I was just starting out and was just starting to shape my imagination into actual pieces. After a while it just kind of took off and now when I see piles of metal, my mind starts racing as to what I can make out of those old pieces.”

So began his journey of collecting a wide variety of materials that are scattered on an acreage of property located just outside of Renfrew. He has converted an old RV into a studio where he lets his creativity flourish.

An avid and eclectic reader, one of his favourite authors is Henry David Thoreau. He used the title of one his books, Walden, and named his studio “Walden Three Studio.”

“Thoreau’s book is a story about simple living in natural surroundings,” he said. “The book talks about simple living and self-sufficiency and being independent and that is how I see myself. I see potential in simple things and the metal that people discard as junk I see as the basis of something special.”

Most of the materials he uses are dropped off by people he knows. Mr. Stekelenburg also supplements his artistic income by hauling away materials from work sites and residences, and he often finds what he refers to as little gold nuggets in terms of potential to be turned into art.

“When I started out, it was not easy to make a living as an artist,” he said. “When people think of art, they think of portraits that hang on a wall. I am fortunate that here in Renfrew we have a very active art guild that features not only canvas artists, but we have photographers, pottery and people like me who are hard to pigeon-hole as an artist.”

Despite his modesty, Mr. Stekelenburg has gained notoriety over the last few years for his unique pieces. He recently completed a three-week exhibition at The Art Square Gallery, located just a few feet away from the Art Gallery of Ontario. He said that experience really opened up his eyes to the potential of metal art. This summer, he will be showcased at the very popular Art in the Garden exhibit in Perth.