Stewart and Steven Wegner

Born in 1954, Stewart and Steven, twins and the fourth and fifth sons of a naval officer, started out in Seattle, Washington but grew up on both coasts and the Gulf, always near the ocean.

Stewart attended and received his degree in Art from Valley College in Los Angeles. While there he apprenticed under the world-renowned sculptor Bijan Bijan, becoming proficient in all phases of the art of sculpting. While in California he also worked under the tutelage of his older brother Paul, who had already achieved national recognition as a sculptor.

Steven, on the other hand moved into the world of graphic arts, learning the business from all directions including printing, layout designs, graphics, photographic processes and even computer programming.

In 1979 they joined up again and with another of the brothers created a fine arts bronze foundry.They called it Wegner Metal Arts. This was the ultimate step because it brought together all of the elements needed to create and produce fine works of art.

Today the foundry provides casting service by the lost-wax process to over 25 artists in mid-Atlantic states, and their work can be seen all over the united states from the Statue of Liberty, to the White House, to Hollywood. In the ten years of operation the foundry has produced over 5000 bronze sculptures ranging in size up to 20 foot spans and weighing more than 5 tons.

Steven and Stewart's positions in the foundry as its founders and its workers and directors provide them with a unique opportunity to master and control each and every step of the complex process required to produce a quality product. This experience which now spans more than ten years has enabled them to achieve a much greater understanding and mastery of the entire sculpting profession, not only as artists but as master craftsmen.

In 1985 they collaborated to produce a specialized series of sculptures depicting marine life, reflecting their long association with and love of the sea. This line of sculpture entitled "Ocean Bronze" has had immediate success in the art world. So far they have created more than 75 different designs, ranging in size from one's fist to over five feet in height. Since introducing Ocean Bronze over 200 pieces have been sold through galleries in Florida, Georgia, Mexico, California, Virginia, Maryland, and Australia.

The combined talents of Steven and Stewart which first produce the original work in wax, then moved into the complex processes of the foundry, again under the control of the artists, is indeed a rare synergism seldom found in the art world.