Monte's Vision
de Gallo standing with 1st Elephant (Kenya 2012)
I've always been an artist with many mediums. From clothing design, to model cars, to landscape drawings and mythical creatures, to music videos, to performance art, to jewelry design - My love has always been to build and create.
I started dabbling with sculpture, and while I was traveling on safari in Africa, I discovered some rudimentary metal artwork that sparked my imagination. I connected with some local metal workers in Kenya, and with my inspiration we started creating these life-size steel sculptures of magnificent animals. It has been a journey that started in 2012 and from the first creations ( pictured at right)... we have come a long way to creating spectacular pieces of art that has captured the spirit of the animals we create. Now... People around the world can enjoy these animal's beauty without seeing them downtrodden in captivity.
Enchanted by a vision to capture the beauty and essence of amazing creatures, I wanted to re-create their beauty in the form of life-size steel sculptures. Many mediums are possible to create sculptures and statues, however, I chose recycled steel from old drum barrels. Used drum barrels are durable, workable, cheap, and ubiquitous.
If we re-frame what life throws our way, we can create something beautiful. There is so much waste in this world, simply because we haven't thought long enough about it... or we don't view it as an opportunity to create. Beauty is all around us. We just have to look. I'm building the plane as I'm flying it, as they say, and I know what looks good and what doesn't.
My art aims to bring a bright-eyed smile to your face! I do my best to be an "Instant WOW" in your mind! Right now, I'm having fun building fantastical creatures of steel that capture the heart, soul, and mind. Anything is possible with Sculptures By Monte.
Life-size pieces take 250 to 800 hours of highly skilled, artistic labor. I have a few large animal sculptures left in my inventory, contact me HERE to learn more. Each One Unique. Every Piece. One-of-a-Kind . Just like You & Your Neighbor - No 2 pieces are alike!
I grew up in Gela, Sicily, Italy and in Peoria, Illinois, USA. In addition to the English language, I speak fluent Italian and I learned basic Swahili while living in Kenya with my family.
How Do We Do It?
Every design starts with building a wire frame from recycled metal. We sustainably harvest scrap steel and metal - many of which are old discarded steel drums. We then sort, cut, and hand weld each section of metal (the skin of the animal sculpture). Each piece of the steel animal sculpture is hand pounded with 16 gauge steel to give it a unique look and durability. We then bring all of the sculptures to the United States for final assembly, finishing, and finesse - where we grind a unique pattern, apply a patina design to the exterior, and spray it with marine lacquer and an industrial clear coat material so that it will hold up to the elements. If the steel animal sculptures are displayed outside, it should withstand the elements for a minimum of 10 years before maintenance work will need to be done (mainly sanding and grinding it again, reapplying the patina, and reapplying the industrial clearcoat). We employ 16 artisans, weldors, and craftsmen in Kenya and the United States. We directly support the livelihood of dozens of people in Kenya and East Africa through our support of World Vision International https://www.wvi.org/
These magnificent creatures will come to life and impress everyone who sees them in your own backyard sculpture garden, vineyard, corporate setting, foyer, venue, museum, veterinary hospital or office, municipal zoo, hotel sculpture, school, children's museum, professional office or otherwise. We will deliver worldwide (for international orders outside of the continental United States - please contact our office)
Many Thanks,
Monte de Gallo
I started dabbling with sculpture, and while I was traveling on safari in Africa, I discovered some rudimentary metal artwork that sparked my imagination. I connected with some local metal workers in Kenya, and with my inspiration we started creating these life-size steel sculptures of magnificent animals. It has been a journey that started in 2012 and from the first creations ( pictured at right)... we have come a long way to creating spectacular pieces of art that has captured the spirit of the animals we create. Now... People around the world can enjoy these animal's beauty without seeing them downtrodden in captivity.
Enchanted by a vision to capture the beauty and essence of amazing creatures, I wanted to re-create their beauty in the form of life-size steel sculptures. Many mediums are possible to create sculptures and statues, however, I chose recycled steel from old drum barrels. Used drum barrels are durable, workable, cheap, and ubiquitous.
If we re-frame what life throws our way, we can create something beautiful. There is so much waste in this world, simply because we haven't thought long enough about it... or we don't view it as an opportunity to create. Beauty is all around us. We just have to look. I'm building the plane as I'm flying it, as they say, and I know what looks good and what doesn't.
My art aims to bring a bright-eyed smile to your face! I do my best to be an "Instant WOW" in your mind! Right now, I'm having fun building fantastical creatures of steel that capture the heart, soul, and mind. Anything is possible with Sculptures By Monte.
Life-size pieces take 250 to 800 hours of highly skilled, artistic labor. I have a few large animal sculptures left in my inventory, contact me HERE to learn more. Each One Unique. Every Piece. One-of-a-Kind . Just like You & Your Neighbor - No 2 pieces are alike!
I grew up in Gela, Sicily, Italy and in Peoria, Illinois, USA. In addition to the English language, I speak fluent Italian and I learned basic Swahili while living in Kenya with my family.
How Do We Do It?
Every design starts with building a wire frame from recycled metal. We sustainably harvest scrap steel and metal - many of which are old discarded steel drums. We then sort, cut, and hand weld each section of metal (the skin of the animal sculpture). Each piece of the steel animal sculpture is hand pounded with 16 gauge steel to give it a unique look and durability. We then bring all of the sculptures to the United States for final assembly, finishing, and finesse - where we grind a unique pattern, apply a patina design to the exterior, and spray it with marine lacquer and an industrial clear coat material so that it will hold up to the elements. If the steel animal sculptures are displayed outside, it should withstand the elements for a minimum of 10 years before maintenance work will need to be done (mainly sanding and grinding it again, reapplying the patina, and reapplying the industrial clearcoat). We employ 16 artisans, weldors, and craftsmen in Kenya and the United States. We directly support the livelihood of dozens of people in Kenya and East Africa through our support of World Vision International https://www.wvi.org/
These magnificent creatures will come to life and impress everyone who sees them in your own backyard sculpture garden, vineyard, corporate setting, foyer, venue, museum, veterinary hospital or office, municipal zoo, hotel sculpture, school, children's museum, professional office or otherwise. We will deliver worldwide (for international orders outside of the continental United States - please contact our office)
Many Thanks,
Monte de Gallo
Ellie the Elephant with A.
My Kenyan Guys are Pumped!
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Arc Welding an Elephant Ear
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Break Time in the Shade!
Party Time Kenyan Style!
Power to the People!
The Forecast is Bullish!
Most of My Team in the USA (Note: Santa Claus has NO affiliation with Sculptures By Monte)
Alex Van Slyke is my Right Hand Man!
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Monte & "Vin" the Tin Lizard
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Rainbow G. Unicorn by Monte de Gallo
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Monte de Gallo & Fans!
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"Never A Penny Short" by Monte de Gallo (2020) with my Favorite Assistant!
