John Brommel

Inventive, imaginative, talented, creative, unique: a never-ending journey.

These are all words that are often used to describe artist John Brommel's work. A Des Moines native, John has been creating with carbon steel, stainless steel, brass, copper, aluminum and bronze for over 35 years. John has invented dozen's of unique techniques, such as brass on stainless, seen only on his work. He is consistently coming up with new ideas to push the boundaries of sculpture. 

"My art expresses the oneness and balance of the creative process. Each piece is a unique representation of the pulse of intelligence that radiates through the entire universe. Through the imagery I create, others will be inspired to manifest positively and universal love in their daily lives." - John Brommel

John's creative journey started as a childhood interest, which grew into a habit of daily study. John continues with that study and considers himself to truly be a lifetime learner. The scope of his work is so broad that the most common remark made when viewing is "This looks like the work of five to ten artists, not just one". This is an incredible comment for an artist to receive.

 

In 1979 John started sculpting in wood and ten years later taught himself to sculpt in stone. This lead to his metal sculpting career beginning in 1998 and continued to move on to airbrush paintings on aluminum in 2003. John shows great concern for the environment and strives for his work to be as "green" as possible. He avidly recycles and repurposes material, drawing from diverse technical genres and searching out new and innovative applications. John attributes much of his influence from nature and geometry. He also looks to the works of Harry Bertoia, Curtis Jere, David Smith, and Lynn Chadwick for inspiration.

John greatly enjoys the interplay of energies and ideas in the execution of commissioned works, (about 50% of his art is commissioned). The work ethic and sense of efficiency practiced in his 35 years as a steamfitter is very apparent in the execution of his pieces." Over 500 hundred of John's sculptures and 2-D metal paintings are on public display or in private collections. Half of the pleasure of owning a piece of John Brommel's work is working with the artist.

Metro Arts and the Community

John has been involved with Metro Arts for the past 3 years through Earth Day in the Junction, Art Fence at artstop, and Metro Arts Two Rivers Expo. Currently he is working on commissions for the Black Cat Café in Des Moines, the Kiwanis Miracle League of Des Moines, and the Maverick Restaurant in West Des Moines. 

Catch John and his work at some of these upcoming events:

• Sculpture dedication at the Black Cat Café at 3701 Ingersoll ave, Des Moines on May 17th from 3 pm
• Newton Art Center, 501 W 3rd Street N, Newton, IA open house on May 22 from 5-7 pm
• Newton Art Center on June 8th at 7 p.m. presentation by John Brommel about "John Brommel the Artist and his Art"
• Iowa Sculpture Festival at Maytag Park, Newton IA on Saturday June 14th from 10-5 p.m. and Sunday June 15th from 10 - 4 p.m. Wonderful Show!

Sculptures are on display at his studio and anyone is welcome for a personal viewing. Please call for an appointment 515-314-2097 or 515-314-2096 or email him by clicking here. 

You can also check out some of John's work at  his MySpace page.