Contemporary Metal Artist and Sculptor

Nicholas Yust was born in 1978 in Cincinnati, Ohio. After completing high school in 1996 Nicholas attended the University of Cincinnati's School of Design Art Architecture and Planning. During the first 2 years of college he studied Fine Art and Art History with special attention to abstract oil pastels and interior architecture. As his passion for math and science grew he gradually shifted from art to engineering, finishing college with a bachelor's degree in materials engineering and a master's degree in metallurgical engineering. His engineering career led him away from art as he interned and worked for the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB, researching superconductivity and thin film coated conductors. It was at this time that Nicholas first experimented with sheets of aluminum; namely cutting, bending and grinding patterns.

Shortly after this initial experimentation Nicholas built a custom triptych of ultra-modern heavily ground aluminum panels as a decorative display in his own home. His friends and relatives marveled at the minimalist appearance and uniqueness of the metal display. In his spare time he built several more wall hanging modern metal sculptures, which eventually led to the development of his present artistic abilities. As he continued to create wall sculptures he also experimented with free-standing sculptures and has since developed many unique grind patterns signature of his work. He also experimented with transparent coatings to allow these signature grind patterns to be seen through a spectrum of colors. As storage space dwindled in his personal studio he decided to sell off a lot of his work. Nicholas sold his newly-created modern metal art in local consignment galleries, Starbucks coffee houses, online art galleries, eBay and his own personal website gallery. The success of the sales and the demand for more artwork led him to puruse his artwork more fervently.

Nicholas recently changed career paths from research engineering to development, transferring from the Air Force to General Electric Aviation where he supported the Repair Technology Center of Excellence. This career move allowed Nicholas to spend even more time creating his modern art and developing innovative new ideas. In 2006 he built a 1200 sq-ft fabrication studio where he creates large and small-scale wall hanging and floor standing sculptures. Most of his work comes as custom orders for large-scale modern metal wall hanging or free standing sculptures. He also makes abstract metal clocks, kitchen and door treatments and custom lit store signs.

Due to ever-increasing interest and demand for metal artwork, Nicholas is now working full time on his art from his Cincinnati studio. The recent surge has also created the need for a larger studio yet again. His work was displayed at the Art Expo New York in 2007 AND 2008, the Art Expo Las Vegas 2008, and is currently on display at the Pendleton Art Center of Cincinnati, Starbucks, several local modern fine art galleries several online virtual galleries, numerous restaurants, offices and hotels, and countless personal art galleries. To date he has sold his work worldwide, including Britain, Germany, Canada, Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, and the United States of America.