A familiar face is back at the Celebration of Fine Art this year, and his luminous, energetic work is lighting up the northeast corner of the tent.

Greg Gowen is a second-generation metal sculptor hailing from New Mexico. He credits his dad for turning him on to the medium and the art. “I first learned how to weld on copper,” Gowen said. “I love it because just with the heat I can create a whole range of colors out of one material.”

He uses different torches and degrees of heat to create layers of color in the metal. Greg said he draws inspiration from all over and carries around a sketch pad in case something sparks an idea.

“My favorite part is when I see a customer connect with a piece,” he said. “You can almost tell before they’ve even decided to buy it, that they connected with it. I hope [my work] changes people’s environment in some way, whether it takes stress away or even just a little ounce of pleasure.”

See why Greg loves this medium and the process of creation.