A WELDER in Bao an District who has honed his skills to create sculptures has sold four of his pieces since March, a Daily Sunshine report said.
Ju Zhenxing, 35, a welder at a car repair shop in Xixiang, creates sculptures from steel rods and cement using techniques he taught himself. He has finished seven pieces since starting in March. His top grossing piece sold for 800 yuan (US$120).
I don t have professional materials for sculpting, so I create my own with steel and cement. The materials were bought from nearby stores and sometimes I also used steel dumped by my factory, said Ju, a native of Heyuan in Guangdong Province who has been a welder in Shenzhen for 13 years.
He was attracted to the art after watching a TV program about sculpture in March. I liked the pieces shown by the program and thought I could also do it, he said.
Having no time or money to take a course, Ju learned his skills from books and TV programs. Most of the pieces are copies of sculptures I saw on TV or in newspapers. I try to make them like the originals, he said.
Most of his creations are animals. I grew up in rural areas and fed many animals like cows, horses, dogs and chickens, he said.
Each sculpture costs Ju around 50 yuan to make, so he was excited to learn that people were willing to pay hundreds for his work. Normally, it is relatives and friends who like my work. It s amazing that I can make a fortune from it, he said.
A primary school graduate, Ju has never had any formal training. I liked playing with wax when I was little, making small things like animals all day long, he said.
He now hopes to find friends with the same interest. I will keep doing it because it makes my life more interesting, he said. (Wang Yuanyuan)
