Mario Duarte
Rockford, IL
Mario Duarte is a welder by day and a metal sculptor by night. While his full-time job as a welder keeps his craft sharp, all the work you see from Mario is done in his spare time and in his garage. Pretty cool, right? After finding the right inspiration he lets his creativity flow and pours some emotion into every one of his unique metal sculptures.
From abstract designs to custom-made countertops, you give Mario some metal and he’ll turn it into something truly unique and amazing. He’s showcased his work at several shows across the Stateline area and is now showing off his creations this October at DEVIATE!
october 15
How would you describe your work?
I consider my work a bit whimsical / abstract with fluidness.
Where do you find your inspiration?
I find inspiration from many things. I could notice a piece of jewelry on someone and be inspired off that piece alone.
How long does it take for you to do a piece from start to finish? The timeline of my work varies. I have pieces I’ve spent 6 hours on and others I’ve spent 50 hours on.
Where can we find your work? Examples of galleries, stores, and events you have been involved in. I don’t have any work on display publicly as most of my work is privately owned. I have been exhibiting at Rockford Artscene for the past 8 years, I have also exhibited at the Starline Gallery in Harvard ,Illinois, The Dole Mansion in Crystal Lake, Illinois and numerous pop-up art events locally.
Is this your full-time job? If so, where do you work? I have a full-time welding job working upwards of 55 hours a week and still try to squeeze in time to create. I don’t have a studio, at the moment I’m working strictly out of my garage.
What are your future goals for your pieces? My future goal is to have my work be it on hand piece(s) or commissioned for a cool hotel or event space or company building.
What do you want us to know about your art, your design, or anything at all?
Some of my work is inspired by things such as emotions depending how my vibe is at that moment in time before a project. So I can say without a doubt a lil piece of me is created into each piece I make.
What is your background? I sort of stumbled into the artwork almost by fate. I work in the metal fabrication industry so I’ve always had an itch to do something creative and use the skills I’ve learned along the way in my trade. I didn’t go to school for art so I’m pretty much self taught. As for the creative side I used intuitive skills I have in welding and let the work come to life organically.
What are you most excited about for DEVIATE? I’m most excited about Deviate as it’s a 1st of its kind event in the area that collaborates a mix of music genres and art. People should absolutely come to simply experience something different. People should check my booth out as I can assure there will be one at least one piece of art that will catch your attention.