T. J. Neil has been creating concrete sculptures for almost 40 years. With initial experience as a concrete contractor, ironworker and plasterer, his artistic streak found ready expression using skills he had learned in the trades.
Neil doesn't use molds to create these amazing figures (which can weigh thousands of pounds), but builds them from scratch using concrete, rebar and wire lath. "My sculptures have to be hauled on trailers all over the country with a lot of bad roads, so they have to be structurally strong to take a lot of punishment," says the former Marine. He colors them with stains and several kinds of latex paint.
"Every time I deliver a sculpture, my wife and I are almost in tears that it's leaving," he says. "I live for this stuff. If I was a multimillionaire, I'd still be doing this."
To learn more about how T.J. makes his creations visit www.tjneil.com.
