Corey Ellis Art Blog
The studio journal collects working notes from the bench - how a commission moves from a wall measurement to a finished sculpture, what shapes pricing on custom metalwork, how to brief an artist without overspecifying the build, and the references that show up again and again in mid-century, brutalist, and contemporary metal sculpture.
Custom Sculpture vs Mass-Produced Wall Art: The Truth
A working artist's side-by-side of custom metal sculpture and mass-produced wall art for interior designers, collectors, and hospitality buyers. Provenance, materials, scale, and where each one actually belongs.
Expert Guide to Commission a Sculpture (From a Working Artist)
A working sculptor's expert path for commissioning a one-of-one metal sculpture. How to brief, how price is built, and the decisions that shape the finished piece.
Brutalist vs Mid-Century Metal Sculpture: How to Choose
A working artist's side-by-side of the two styles buyers keep going back and forth on. Materials, mood, room fit, scale, and how to decide which belongs on your wall.
Ready to Commission a Metal Sculpture: A Buyer's Guide
For buyers who are ready, not just curious. What to send in the first email, how the brief locks scope, and what happens between deposit and delivery.
Metal Art Commissions FAQ: What Buyers Actually Ask
Straight answers on price, timeline, materials, ownership, edits, freight, and install for a one-of-one welded sculpture commission.
How to Hang a Heavy Metal Wall Sculpture (From a Welder)
Real weight numbers, stud vs toggle vs cleat, plaster and brick rules, and the mounting mistakes that crack walls - written from the bench.
How to Commission a Custom Metal Sculpture
What to send, how the build moves, what shapes pricing, and how to brief an artist without overspecifying the work.
The topics the journal returns to
- How custom metal sculpture commissions actually move - inquiry, direction, build, install.
- What changes the price of a sculpture - scale, material, finish, mounting, freight.
- Style references for mid-century, brutalist, abstract, and pop metal work.
- How designers and art consultants brief the studio on behalf of a client.
- Material notes - copper, blackened steel, stainless, masonry nail surfaces, enamel finishes.
- Installation considerations for large-scale and double-height wall sculpture.
- How hospitality and commercial properties spec a single focal piece.
- Studio process - photography, crating, freight, and white-glove install.
A working journal, not an archive
New entries are added as commissions wrap, references resurface, and questions come in often enough to deserve a written answer. If there is a topic you want covered - a style you are buying around, a material you have a question about, a hospitality program you are sourcing for - send the question through the contact form and it may show up as the next post.
Start a Custom Artwork Inquiry
Share dimensions, space, and any imagery that inspires the project. Corey reviews every inquiry personally.