Don Wolf makes vehicles from beverage cans. The vehicles are based on true vehicles and are in scale. These cars, trucks and motorcycles are folk art.
This art of the people can be learned formally or self-taught, as Wolf has done. A longtime tradition of using of recycled objects to make art can reflect a segment of a community.
These sculptures are for the people who like cars and other machines. They are both new and old and can take us back to a simple time when all it took was a model car to make us happy. Art for the folks indeed!
When did you begin creating in the arts?
I grew up with my dad in the Navy so we moved around a bit. Music and art were sometimes my best and only friends. We ended up in Hamilton, NJ, and I went to Steinert High School for four years. I was a good art student and really liked the classes. One of my art teachers pulled me aside and said, “You should really be creative long after high school.” That struck a chord with me, and I aimed to stay creative.
How did you get started making the aluminum sculptures?
On a visit to Florida my future wife and I visited a flea market. I saw a ship made of aluminum cans and gravitated toward it. I already had training in making model cars when I was a kid. I had it all figured out, like painting the car parts before breaking the parts loose from the molded tree that they come out of the box on. The ship really got me started.
Where do you get the designs?
I work with upcycled aluminum cans. I have not put a can in the recycling bucket in 30 years. I cut off the top and bottom with an exacto knife. Then I cut the tube remaining open and flatten the can into what I call a flat. I have drawers of these “flats” in every brand and color. I have them from Budweiser through Yuengling.
I make my own designs. The ship in Florida was what I call a “standard.” So are the biplanes that you will see around. You can see these anywhere. The designs I make sometimes get there from studying Hot Wheels cars and trucks. Hot Wheels are in 1/64 scale and are 3 inches long. The designs I make are more like 1/24 scale so they are quite a bit larger.
Which tools do you use, and do you save the plans so you can make multiples?
Besides the exacto knives, I use scissors, a table saw with a specific blade, pliers and special glue. My one tool that is very much needed is a block of wood that is about as large as a half loaf of bread. I roll the material to make the flats on the edge of the block, and use it to make all the bends and folds. I make templates and patterns that are labels and are in sets for each model. I currently have 22 different vehicles measured, patterned and in production.
How do you decide which brand cans to use?
I get commissioned to do certain models with a certain can. Collectors wish to have certain favorite beverage can either soda, beer, or even Arizona Iced Tea. For some models I will buy certain items such as beads or model wheels from the craft store, but it is mostly just the cans. I use the parts of the cans so you can see the logos the best.
Do collectors make requests/commissions?
Oh yes. It takes a while for me to develop a new model. I have begun making Zamboni machines like the ones used for ice rinks. The conditioner part in the back lifts up, just like the real machine. I want the sculpture to work like the real vehicles do. I also recently started making golf carts and firetrucks. These are proving to be very popular.
What are your favorite designs to make?
Whichever I am making at the time. I work on these every day. I make about 50 pieces a year. I make pickup trucks, monster trucks, helicopters, jeeps, a Harley, a front end loader, even a steam train.
Which is the most difficult piece to make?
The fire trucks take a lot of work, but once I get the measurements and templates correct, all is good.
Do you ever get cut making this art? Do you take safety measures?
No cuts, I have been at this quite a while. I also get “you must drink a lot of beer.” I will respond, “Only when I have rush orders!” Actually my friends will save cans for me. They rinse them out, of course.
What fight/struggle do you have regarding your art?
When I do have rush orders for holidays, it is quite a challenge. Last Christmas I had 20 pieces ordered on Dec. 1 and I was able to deliver. But please do order early.
Have you ever shown the work in an exhibition?
I will be showing some of these at the Hamilton Library during the month of April. Please stop in and have a look.
Folk artist Don Wolf and some of his aluminum creations.,
