One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Take for example an antique or vintage watch that just can’t be fixed anymore. When this happens, the broken watch will just end up being discarded. But just because your great-great-grandfather’s timepiece stopped telling time doesn’t mean it’s useless junk. In fact, they just might end up becoming parts of New York-based artist Sue Beatrice’s sensational steampunk sculptures!
Sue Beatrice’s sculptures stand out largely due to the fact that she creates life-like caricatures of animals using mechanical parts. It’s worth mentioning that she’s been in the creative industry for more than 30 years now. With that much time in the field, Beatrice has had the chance to work with many different materials. Some of the materials include chocolate, plastic, bronze, sand, pumpkins and even crystal. But what’s truly remarkable about this eclectic artist is her pursuit of creation.
Susan Beatrice began making steampunk sculptures out of old watch pieces to carve out a unique reputation for herself
“My ‘claim to fame’ used to be based on what clients I worked for,” she explained. “Initially, that was The Franklin Mint and later Disney and other major companies. Sometimes it was a well known toy line, like when I was working on Cabbage Patch Kids back in the 80’s or more recently, a series of Harry Potter figures. Now it’s based on my own work, and I try to keep it fresh and new so the pieces I am known for change frequently.”
It appears that despite being well-known because of her associations, she felt a nagging need to create something that’s entirely her own. So she went under the name ‘All Natural Arts’ and did just that! The artist described her craft as “Earth-friendly Creations made from Natural and Recycled Elements”. But it would take some time before Beatrice would realize her calling towards creating sculptures. At the start of her independent creative venture, she created sculptures with various natural objects such as insect wings, snake skins and feathers.
The scale of her watch piece sculptures are eye popping
Her steampunk creations are a tribute
With her use of delicate elements, Beatrice protected them by putting them inside antique pocket watch cases. “Often when I collected the cases I would also receive parts and noticed that they quite beautiful,” Beatrice said. And we absolutely agree with her. Every piece that goes into making a watch tick is mesmerizing – both in function and form. Naturally, the eclectic creative began incorporating the spare parts she’d receive into her work.
“I began incorporating them into my work and soon they became the main material in my designs. As soon as I showed people my initial watch parts creations the reaction was dramatic. It was not long before I was getting more requests from those who wanted to purchase items and from places that wanted to put them in display. Word began to spread as images were shared on social networks and photo hosting sites and inquiries started to come in from all over the world.”
Eclectic artist Susan Beatrice transforms watch parts into awesome sculptures of various animals
Beatrice’s spectacular pieces have caught the attention of both steampunk and watch enthusiasts. It’s not really surprising, since she pieces together the parts so well. When asked why her steampunk creations mostly take the form of animals, she explained,
“I’ve always felt a bond with nature and creatures of all types and I love the dichotomy of creating biological forms using machine parts.”
“There’s special magic that happens when they reach the point where they feel as though they could actually exist.”
She also creates sculptures inspired by the human form
These steampunk sculptures made out of discarded watch pieces are absolutely amazing. So next time your wristwatch stops ticking, don’t think that’s end for it. They just might end up becoming a part of Beatrice’s many epic creations! A variety of steampunk sculptures are available for purchase on her website. You can also keep up with Beatrice’s latest updates via Facebook.