ArtBuzz

The Beach Burner Portable Bonfire: 24 and 30 inch Recycled Steel Fire Pits

Scroll down to learn more or purchase your own Beach Burner Portable Bonfire! click thumbnail to view larger image. Firebowl design © 2007-2009, John T Unger

The 24 inch Beach Burner Portable Bonfire is the largest size firebowl I can ship via ground carriers and the smallest fire bowl that can be converted to a gas burning firepit. The vertical sides and rounded base make this the perfect portable firebowl for beach bonfires. The standard finish is rust, although bowls may be shiny when they first arrive… It takes a little time and fire to get the full patina. If desired, you can paint the bowl with high temperature automotive or grill paint. Designed to become an everlasting part of your family tradition, the Beach Burner is cut from heavy steel plate which will last generations outdoors with no maintenance. Gather friends and family to celebrate around a roaring blaze year-round.

For a serious luau, consider the 30 inch Beach Burner Portable Bonfire! The photo below shows the difference in size between the two. The 30 inch version ships freight on a single pallet due to it's size, but is easily loaded into a car or truck for camping, ski trips or beach parties.

The Beach Burner Portable Bonfire: Choose from two sizes
	30" Beach Burner Portable Bonfire: $749 with shipping* 23" high overall, bowl is 23" deep, 100 lbs
	24" Beach Burner Portable Bonfire: $649 with shipping* 18" high overall, bowl is 18" deep, 70 lbs
	The Beach Burner is suitable for gas, wood or charcoal fires. Gas burner installation instructions are here.
	Upgrade to natural gas or propane burning firepit: The Great Bowl O' Fire ships ready-to-fit for clean-burning propane or natural gas burners. A simple manual light burner is best for most installations. Manual light: Order a 22" or 24" stainless burner from FireCrystals. For remote-ignition gas burners, call Steven at FireCrystals, 805.237.9188.
	*Shipping: Price includes shipping for US orders and Canada, excluding Alaska and Hawaii (please call or email for rates to AK and HI). For International Orders please see FAQ here.

Movie: Beach Burner Portable Bonfire Cookin' with Gas! In keeping with the environmental philosophy behind making the Great Bowl from 100% recycled material, I am now offering the Great Bowl ready-to-fit with clean-burning propane or natural gas burners. Gas is not only safer and cleaner than wood fire, it's also more convenient since you can turn the fire on and off at will! In many areas where open wood fires are prohibited, a gas pit will pass inspection because it creates no sparks (although you should check your local ordinances to be certain). Gas is an especially nice option with this portable-sized firebowl, because it makes bonfires at the beach easy (just hook up a 20 pound propane tank, like a grill) and keeps the sand clean of ash and coals.

Scrappy Rooster: Scrapyard Abstract No. 2

Scrappy Rooster: Scrapyard Abstract No. 2, 2005. Recycled steel. 33" H x 21" W x 12" D
Purchase Scrappy Rooster for $750 ($550 plus $200 S+H).
Scrappy Rooster has a great dynamic quality when you see it in person… every now and then I put together a sculpture that has enough presence and tension that I mistake it for a live creature when it catches the corner of my eye. The patina is natural and will change over time if the sculpture is placed outdoors. This piece displays best on a table or pedestal.
click thumbnail to view larger image.

Islero: Scrapyard Abstract No. 7

Islero: Scrapyard Abstract No. 7, 2006. recycled steel. 22" x 24" x 9"
Purchase Islero for $1030 ($950 plus $80 S+H).
When I made this piece, I saw it as an animal running at full tilt, turning sharply mid-run on two legs. I love the way the tail whips around through the air and the head stretches outward, still thrust in the original direction. Others have looked and seen the head of a bull, so I named it Islero, after the bull that ended the life  of Manolete, the world's most famous bullfighter. I'd thought that since bullfighting is such an obsessive sport, there might be names for such sudden turns as this creature is engaged in, but the choreographic lexicon of bullfighting seems to concern itself only with the moves of the matador and not the bull. On the other hand, the historical Islero must have made just such a sudden sharp and unexpected turn, so the name seems appropriate and references both images well.

Houses and Weather: Scrapyard Abstract No. 8

Houses and Weather: Scrapyard Abstract No. 8, 2006. recycled steel. 14" x 10" x 3"
Purchase Houses and Weather for $550 ($500 plus $50 S+H).
Although the steel in this sculpture was crushed, compacted and sheared intentionally, by a machine at the junk yard, it reminds me of what you see when heavy weather tears through a trailer park. The jagged piece in the center resembles lightning or a twister, hence the name Houses and Weather. I lost a building to the snow a couple years ago— I was on the roof shoveling madly when it just dropped out from under me, so I know a bit about what weather can do. If I could, I'd get a restraining order to keep the weather off my couple acres here. Much as the beautiful colors of fall have always made it my favorite season, there's a part of me that starts to panic now every year when the weather starts to chill… I do take it personally, and I look at the sky as an implacable threat. Sigh. I'll get over it, eventually. But in the meantime, that's what I see in this sculpture.

Folk Art Style Aluminum + Copper Fish Sign

Aluminum + Copper Fish Sign, 2005 Recycled Aluminum, copper and plywood. 51" H x 96" W x 1" D
Purchase Aluminum + Copper Fish Sign for $850 ($750 plus $100 S+H).
This was originally going to be a sign for the studio…  I got this far with it and decided that I liked it better as art. I made it before I had a plasma cutter, so the whole thing was done with shears and a jigsaw. I especially like the way that the copper fin near the gills came out all ripply and dimensional. I had intended it to lay flatter, but the copper got all bent up while I was cutting it and actually looked much better that way. It's pretty common that the best features of a piece will be the mistakes… I could certainly have flattened it out the way I had intended it to be, but so often what makes art be art is seeing the benefit of an error before you correct and having the sense to leave it in.

Curious Child, Steel and Granite Figurative Sculpture

Curious Child, 2002 Granite, Steel. 36" H x 34" W x 8" D
Purchase Curious Child for $600 ($500 plus $100 Fed Ex Freight).
This was the first of my sculptures  in stone and steel. I like to pose him in the yard as though he is feeding the Big Horse Pulltoy sculpture. They make a nice pair.

Bluegill Glass Mosaic No. 2, 2006

Bluegill Mosaic No. 2, 2006 Sicis Iridium glass tile, glass taxidermy eye, copper. 11" H x 17.5" W x 1.5" D
Purchase Bluegill Mosaic No. 2 for $550 ($500 plus $50 S+H).
My daughter Mya did so well last summer  helping me with mosaic that this year I had her create a whole line of fish. She got to do the fun parts—laying the tile and working out the gradients and shading— I did the mortar, grout, copper banding and provided some small amount of editorial assistance. The work sells at the normal studio rate because it's totally worth it. Her skills are far beyond what you'd expect from a teenager, or even most professional artists. Most of the tile used on this mosaic is from the Iridium line of glass from Sicis. As the light or viewing angle changes, the iridescent surface of the tile closely resembles the  scales of a live fish. The   photo above shows the iridescent sheen. The second pic shows the copper banding that finishes and protects the mosaic. Mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate over plywood and finished around the edges with copper banding. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.

Brook Trout Glass Mosaic No. 2, 2006

Brook Trout Mosaic No. 2, 2006 Sicis Iridium glass tile, glass taxidermy eye, copper, Hardibacker substrate. 11" H x 19" W x 1.5" D Collaboration: John T. Unger + Mya Smith
Purchase Brook Trout Mosaic No. 2 for $550 ($500 plus $50 S+H).
My daughter Mya did so well last summer  helping me with mosaic that this year I had her create a whole line of fish. She got to do the fun parts—laying the tile and working out the gradients and shading— I did the mortar, grout, copper banding and provided some small amount of editorial assistance. The work sells at the normal studio rate because it's totally worth it. Her skills are far beyond what you'd expect from a teenager, or even most professional artists. Most of the tile used on this mosaic is from the Iridium line of glass from Sicis. As the light or viewing angle changes, the iridescent surface of the tile closely resembles the  scales of a live fish. The   photo above shows the iridescent sheen. The second pic shows the copper banding that finishes and protects the mosaic. The mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate over plywood and finished around the edges with copper banding. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.

Lunula Tropical Fish Mosaic

Lunula Tropical Fish Mosaic, 2006 Vitreous glass tile, steel frame. 17.25" H x 17.25" W x .75" D Collaboration: John T. Unger + Mya Smith
Purchase Lunula Tropical Fish Mosaic for $560 ($500 plus $60 S+H).
Mya and I collaborated on a few mosaic panels this summer that can either be hung on the wall or converted to table tops. She was really into fish by this point in time, so that's what we did. Mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate  in a steel frame. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.

Lineolatus Tropical Fish Mosaic

Lineolatus Tropical Fish Mosaic, 2006 Vitreous glass tile, steel frame. 17.25" H x 17.25" W x .75" D Collaboration: John T. Unger + Mya Smith
Purchase Lineolatus Tropical Fish Mosaic for $560 ($500 plus $60 S+H).
Mya and I collaborated on a few mosaic panels this summer that can either be hung on the wall or converted to table tops. This one is particularly striking. A great accent for kitchen or bath, patio or yard. Mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate in a steel frame. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.