The Warrior
- Completed
- 2025
- Dimensions
- 24" H × 11" W × 11" D
- Materials
- salvaged steel
- Where
- Oceanside, CaliforniaBy appointment — contact Nikki to arrange a time.
The Warrior came early, while Matt was still figuring out how to sculpt faces from metal.
There was no drawing. Construction spikes, industrial punch-outs, stainless-steel shims and other pieces became a face as Matt worked. One eye came from the glass ball of an old lamp. Some of the shims had previously been used at a power plant. The long handlebar mustache extends down far enough to become part of the structure holding the Piece upright.
The front reads as a face. The back stays open, exposing how it was built.
Matt did not begin with a finished Warrior in mind. The character arrived while he was making him.
"I think I became the warrior while I was building him."
Matt was learning something new and difficult at the time. He has said the expressions in his work come from his imagination, his thoughts and whatever is happening in his life.
When he looks at this character now, the description is simpler.
"I think he's just there standing his ground."
The old name was The Face. The Warrior fits what the Piece became — and the moment in Matt's life when he made it.
"It fits the moment."
Asked what The Warrior would say, Matt didn't need to explain it.
"Handle your business."