Dawn Mickel
copper sculptures and wall reliefs

In Virginia's beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, Dawn Mickel and her husband, John Gardini, of Black Cat Enterprises have created copper animal sculptures that truly capture nature's wild spirit. These free-standing handmade sculptures are designed to exhibit the motion and expressions unique to each creature, whether it is a domestic cat or mother elephant. Each Black Cat design is made from heavy gauge sheet copper. After cutting, sanding, assembly and soldering, the piece is soaked in acid overnight. It is then "colored" with a blowtorch. The color is fixed with polyurethane, so the sculptures require little or no maintenance.