Metalhead

An Arden welder does art with a twist—and better than you’d hoped for.

Got metal? Phil Fisher will tell you what to do with it. He specializes in welded-steel art—with a sense of humor. So somewhere on that spectacular garden gate he designed, there’s an insect chewing up a leaf.

“I take my time on each piece, and I take a lot of pride in what I do,” Fisher says. “When I make something, it’ll be here in a thousand years. So, I guess, the fact that I design something unique for each customer is pretty meaningful.”

And pretty affordable, considering that a Fisher gate will keep intruders out for the next millennium. “A lot of my work is made from scraps,” Fisher says. “I basically make a pattern and cut it with a torch.”

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Don’t let the pattern thing throw you. Fisher can make 100 Celtic crosses, lamps or bells, but no two will be alike. If you’re interested in a Fisher piece, visit Fisher Sculptures in Arden. You won’t necessarily get what you envisioned—you might get something better. “Customers explain what they want,” Fisher says. “Then I tell them what I can do.”

What he can do is the reason Fisher has become so highly sought. He doesn’t advertise. He has no cell phone or computer. Yet for 16 years, referrals have kept him booked. He recently allowed a friend to create a website, fishersculptures.com. The site features a few pieces but no prices. Fisher won’t talk price until he talks project, though he admits that the sailfish coffee table featured on the site is not something he has energy to duplicate. “The amount of work that went into that was enormous,” he says. “But if someone wants it, I’ll do it”—then he pauses—“for $7,000.” Reach Fisher at 475-2398. 

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