Holly and Nate Burk have forged an intimate bond with steel.
Five years back, the husband and wife team launched Spokane Folk Art & Copper Tones, a business which upcycles nails, railroad spikes and other metal objects into eclectic statuary. After stumbling upon a cyborg-ish Burk creation online, I met up with the Spokane Valley couple to chat about their unorthodox pieces which would be suitable for distinctive gifting or perhaps simply adding a bit of divergent, mechanical charm to an otherwise ordinary exterior home space.
A motley gang of alloy animals with glowing eyes and claw rake ears greeted me when I arrived at the Burk residence. The animatronic crew appeared to have teleported into their alleyway pasture straight from a “Terminator” movie. If you’re into cool hardware, these critters come fully equipped.
“We’re saving the planet, one piece of art at a time,” said Holly Burk.
A connoisseur of nature, she educated herself in the finer details of jewelry and stained glass design, while husband Nate coached her on the basics of welding. Turtle planters and pet cremation pieces are two of her specialties.
“You can put your ashes under the pad of the paw,” Holly said.
A massive, moon-shaped figure she constructed from aged metal gears and washers sat perched against a fence behind us.
“This is meant to be outdoor art and so it compliments animals and gardens,” she said.
Her works are rustic and expressive. In one photo Holly shared, a fairy with spindly fingers, humanoid eyes and wings crafted from wrenches appears to grasp at you from her potted dwelling.
The Burks are scavengers of steel.
They harvest items from estate sales or vintage farms in the North Idaho and Eastern Washington region. Pickaxes. Horseshoes. Entire pieces of farm machinery. An antique metal gas can and bicycle handlebars morphed into a horned cow. A vintage 1800s wheel now doubles as a table base.
“It’s like historical stuff,” said Nate Burk. “We’re turning them into something that’s art and I like the idea that it’s going to last a really, really long time, because it’s metal.”
This Spokane Folk Art & Copper Tones bigfoot figure was created from tractor tire chains, keys and hooks. The piece weighs in at about 300 pounds. (Courtesy of Spokane Folk Art & Copper Tones)
A backyard work area overflowed with containers of screws, bolts and other mysterious scraps of steel. While rusted tire rims are a junkyard eyesore to many, this ingenious couple puts them to use as sturdy stands for their sculptures. In a fountain piece, the Burks used 53 shovels of different sizes to simulate the scales of a pinecone. A bionic horse galloped to life from multiple car jacks. Copper, brass and marble elements are often incorporated into figures as ornamental accents. The cost of each statue varies depending on the complexity of design, materials used and welding difficulty involved. Moving one of these steel beasts might require a forklift. “Big Foot,” created from tractor tire chains, keys and hooks, weighed in at about 300 pounds.
Nate Burk’s robotic cowboys and animal figures are outfitted with enough u-joints, coil springs and other high-tech metal appendages to garner a free round with the elitist of “Star Wars” cantina droids. A plumber by trade, he is always dragging home pipes and other scraps of steel from his day job.
“I worked with my dad when I was younger being an auto mechanic, so anything that was machine or moving parts … gears and chains all that stuff, I really appreciated,” Burk said.
A science fiction fan, his concepts are influenced by Swiss artist, H.R. Giger, who was a part of the visual design team that won an Academy Award for the 1979 horror film, “Alien.”
This year, Spokane Folk Art & Copper Tones was selected to participate in Coeur d’Alene ArtCurrents, a program which leases and showcases works from local artists in an effort to assist with sales. The Burk’s “Unfurled Feathers” piece is now on display at Third and Lakeside in downtown Coeur d’Alene. The colorful peacock was created from steel, stained glass, labradorite stones with copper bezel and brass golf club head feathers. When they aren’t busy welding, the Burks enjoy meeting and mingling with people at street fairs or local home and garden shows.
This Spokane Folk Art & Copper Tones “Unfurled Feathers” piece was chosen for the Coeur d’Alene ArtCurrents call in 2025. The figure was created with steel, stained glass, labradorite stones with copper bezel and brass golf club head feathers. It is currently on display at Third and Lakeside in downtown Coeur d’Alene. (Courtesy of Spokane Folk Art & Copper Tones)
Nate Burk shared a touching story.
“A mother and daughter said, ‘Hey, we’ve got all this metal. It’s in our garage. Dad passed away. We don’t know what to do with it. We’d like you guys to have it.’ ”
After picking up that load, the Burks welded a cowboy and dragonfly from the donated items and presented them to the two women as keepsakes.
“That’s what I look forward to with making sculptures is stuff like that … I’m not really money motivated,” said Nate Burk. “When people come up and go, ‘Oh, this is the coolest thing,’ smile and are happy … that’s fulfilling.”
Cynthia Reugh can be reached at cynthia13048@gmail.com.