Jeff Yeager

Repurposed metal yard art

Port Orchard, WA

I have always loved to create things with my hands. Little did I know, when I took a welding class in High School, that this would later become my medium. It was 25 years later that I saw an exhibit at a garden show that inspired me to try my hand at metal crafting. I began collecting scrap metal from junk yards, auto repair shops, and yard and estate sales. I soon began putting together pieces that I displayed in our yard. After our property began to become quite full, my wife Trudy suggested that I try to sell some of it. I started out selling at a local Farmers Market, and found out that people really enjoyed my creations. I love to see the smiles on people’s faces as they enter my booth for the first time.

My creations are a combination of whimsy, steam punk, and eccentric, and no two are ever alike. I use old tools, railroad spikes, used auto parts, pots and pans, old farm equipment, silverware, rebar, and horseshoes.

I am constantly looking for interesting shapes and patinas as I search for new treasures to create with. 90% of my work is done with an arc welder, but due to the incompatibility of some metals, I am forced to improvise at times with alternate means of connection, such as bolting or riveting.

I love to take an old rusted item that was destined for the dump or recycling yard, and give it a new life as a treasured piece of art for many to enjoy. My works include slugs, crabs, chickens, mice, goats, dogs and cats, crosses, horses and cows, dinosaurs, owls, space needles, deer and moose, turtles and fish, and lots of birds. I have recently begun to make industrial steampunk lamps from old tools. I also create commissioned works, specific to your needs.