Turning Tuna
$1,000.00 – $1,750.00
The tuna is one of the largest, fastest, and most gorgeously colored of all the world’s fishes. Their torpedo-shaped, streamlined bodies are built for speed and endurance. Their coloring—metallic blue on top and shimmering silver-white on the bottom—helps camouflage them from above and below.
Description
Our tuna steel sculptures are uniquely handcrafted using my specialized fire color hardening technique. The tuna is one of the largest, fastest, and most gorgeously colored of all the world’s fishes. Their torpedo-shaped, streamlined bodies are built for speed and endurance. Their coloring—metallic blue on top and shimmering silver-white on the bottom—helps camouflage them from above and below. The design process starts with an original hand drawn rendering of a tuna, a species of tuna found in the colder waters of the North Atlantic prized by anglers for their immense size and fighting spirit. The outline is precision laser cut from 316 grade stainless steel, an alloy known for excellent corrosion resistance.
I grind and shape each individual tuna sculpture, using controlled heat up to 1800°F to permanently set an array of colors into the molecular structure of the steel. As the metal is heated, quantum crystalline changes occur bringing out vibrant reds, purples, blues and grays. No paints or coatings are used, just the natural physics of steel. And no two pieces are ever identical, making each a unique interpretation of this pelagic predator.
The finished steel sculpture is then fitted by hand with marine grade stainless brackets to perfectly balance its hang angle. Though durable for lifetime outdoor installments near water, care should be taken to inspect fittings periodically. Proudly made by me in Central Florida. For interior or exterior decoration, these one-of-a-kind fish celebrate the mighty tuna through tempo-art steel interpretations.
*All of our sculptures come with stainless steel brackets and hardware for mounting.
Additional information
| Face | Left, Right |
|---|---|
| Items | 36" x 26" Turning-Tuna Sculpture – $1000.00, 45" x 34" Turning-Tuna Sculpture – $1750.00, 7" Turning-Tuna Vinyl Sticker – $10.00 |
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Armando R. Hevia, a passionate artist and sport fisherman enthusiast, was born in Havana, Cuba, but moved to the U.S. as a young child. He has lived Orlando, Florida since 1972. Fortunately, Florida is a premier destination for fishing, and the open seas have given him a wide realm of both observation and discernment, fueling his creativity to replicate sea life in his own vision.
Armando has always loved to draw, and studied both Commercial Art and Welding at Mid-Florida Tech in Orlando. His welding knowledge prompted him to experiment with creating his first metal sculpture over 20 years ago. What began as a hobby has turned into much more, and he has methodically developed his stainless steel sculptures depicting sea life. All sculptures begin with a hand drawn design before the metal is cut to the proper specifications of each fish. He then grinds each piece to add depth and dimension into each piece. The array of colors is achieved by controlled heat, a process known as fire color. The colors are not painted on, but rather drawn out of the metal by different temperatures of heat. The colors are then embedded into the steel permanently. Each piece is original, and no two pieces are alike.
Armando not only has a passion for, but takes pride in each piece of art he creates. It is clear he has an innate, intuitive gift for art, and is willing and able to create anything the mind can imagine.