Since 1966, Bill Heise has infused new value into the remnants of the industrial past by crafting distinctive metal sculpture almost entirely from salvaged materials--iron and steel collected exclusively from the farms, scrapyards and railroads of Vermont. The ethereal forms and delicate lines of Bill's sculptures defy the rugged origins of each component part--railroad spikes, chainlink, plow discs, pitchforks, tie-rods, shovel blades--and the resulting figures are transformed into birds in flight, cows out to pasture, tropical fish, and a myriad of other wildlife and human forms.

Originally established in Waitsfield, Vermont, Bill's studio (now located in Burlington, Vermont) offers a unique glimpse into the creativity of one of the earliest artists to work in this most unlikely of mediums. The stacks of discarded farm and other mechanical equipment lie methodically organized alongside buckets of vintage canopeners, antique flooring nails, and various nuts and bolts. A massive DC arc welder, a newer MIG welder and an oxygen-acetylene torch occupy a full bay of the studio--these are the tools by which the components will be forged, bent, and welded into sculptures. Most often, the sculptures are designed to retain original characteristics of the component parts, thus allowing for subtle recognition within the piece. The studio is filled to the roof with one-of-a-kind sculptures comprised of unique and aged metal parts, many of which would be near impossible to ever find again--the anchor chain worn from 100 years in Lake Champlain, or the plow disc which faithfully turned Vermont soil every spring around the turn of the last century.