"Green" Modern Metal Art

All of us at ModernAbstractDecor.com share your concerns about the environment and try to do our support the protection and preservation of Mother Nature. The artist, Nicholas Yust, goes to great lengths to ensure that he leaves as small a footprint as possible in the production of a style of modern art that might otherwise present a challenge.

Nicholas Yust - Eco-Friendly Artist

A native of beautiful Cincinnati, Ohio, the artist grew up in appreciation for nature. When he emerged as a full-time professional artist, he wanted to make sure his materials and processes were as 'eco-friendly' as possible.

Environmentally-Friendly Materials & Processes

Using industrial-type supplies (metals, machinery, paints, clear coats...) could easily present a problem in 'green' art efforts. For that reason, the artist has looked at each step of his process - from materials acquisition to modern art production - and determined the most environmentally-friendly alternatives and solutions. He achieves his 'green' modern metal art objectives as follows, in his own words:

Pure Design

The terms "green," "eco-friendly" and many others have found their way into everyday jargon. As an artist using the earth’s resources, it is important that I play my part and do so through a process I call “pure design”. I am lucky that aluminum, my material of choice, is naturally one of the most recycled/recyclable metals, but also the one that is most vibrant when applied with my grind patterns, ductile for creating beautiful forms in free-standing art and has beautiful color and light reflection in my final product.

Pure materials

Post recycled metal and mixed materials are used to create all of my sculptures. My favorite material is aluminum. not only is it the best metal for enhancing the vibrancy, detail and light reflection of my grind patterns, but it is the most environmentally friendly metal of choice. The aluminum I use is 100% recyclable, combined from 42% post consumer and 58% post industry recycled content. Recycled aluminum requires about 5% of the energy to produce than that of the raw form from aluminum ore, and the alloy type which I use is also enhanced for top anti-corrosion performance. My final sculptures resonate the inherent properties of aluminum, such as high-performance, maintenance-free, long-living and light weight. Meaning, lower transportation costs, higher durability and a longer life of enjoyment.

Pure Processes

My fabrication processes are founded on sustainability for the environment and space around me, to keep the world just as beautiful as the artwork which we enjoy. Any process required to create my sculptures, such as painting or grinding, is tightly regulated so that all off-shoot is strictly controlled or converted into non-damaging forms.

Pure Scrap

Essentially, I rename all "scrap" as sample pieces, test product, and even parts of other sculpture designs. In addition, all cuts made from raw sheets and materials are planned strategically so there is little or none left unused, and any that might be is always planned into a new design to both eliminate waste and minimize the amount of aluminum resource that I obtain for my art. To give you an idea, I use 5000 lbs of metal annually; only 80 lbs of this goes back to the scrap yard, 98.4% leaves as artwork and 1.6% is scrap which I recycle in new designs.

Pure Packaging

I have developed my packaging processes to a science, ordering custom size boxes to ship my artwork, so that there is minimal unused space within each box and the cubic occupation of freight vehicles is lessened. Then, I use highly efficient packaging within the box to minimize waste to the environment.

See what else you and others can do to be more environmentally friendly.