Jud Turner

Jud Turner is an artist who lives in Eugene and commissions giant sculptures made from scrap pieces of metal. His intention with these sculptures is to turn ordinary objects into something beautiful and welded with purpose. By taking metal pieces that were once rugged, sharp, and uninspiring and transforming them into soft and exuberant artworks, he gives them a new life. With these photos, I highlighted parts of his creative process and got to know more about him as an artist.

Jud Turner, 54, begins welding his newest sculpture of a heron. He often gets commissioned by local businesses or art galleries seeking creative pieces for their spaces.
Jud Turner, 54, sketches the outline of an open area of the sculpture. This is to ensure he can carve out a piece that fits perfectly to cover a specific area.
Jud Turner, 54, welds together a small dot to hold up a piece of metal — this allows him to take a step back and look at the heron from a new angle.
Jud Turner, 54, spends most of his time in his workshop re-purposing scrap bumpers and car pieces by turning them into works of art. His most recent sculpture is of a 9-foot-tall chrome heron.
Jud Turner, 54, deliberates how to achieve the perfect curve of a heron’s chest. He says the most difficult part of making sculptures isn’t the welding, but making sure it looks as anatomically correct as possible.
Jud Turner, 54, uses a hand saw to carve out a unique shape from a car bumper to complete the next section of his sculpture.
Jud Turner, 54, climbs atop heron sculpture to weld a piece of the shoulder. Turner often has to approach his sculptures from unusual angles in order to perfect its shape.
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