ForConstructionPros.com

Anyone who says concrete is not art has never met T.J. Neil or seen one of his concrete sculptures before. Neil, who has become known as the "Concrete Sculptor," has been doing concrete sculpting for more than 35 years. Prior to his sculpting he worked in the construction business, which became the basis for his trade.

Neil, whose sculpting business T.J. Neil's, Homosassa, Fla., creates all his sculptures free hand. "We do not use molds," Neil says. "In my opinion, that is the difference between sculpting (free hand) and manufacturing (using molds). What we do is totally different than most people's concepts of what you can make with concrete," he adds. Neil's son, T.J. Neil Jr., is also getting into the act, helping his father create these one-of-a-kind sculptures.

Constructing the sculptures

Although Neil's sculptures can be quite whimsical when finished, Neil knows the most important element is the structure of the sculpture. "As far as I'm concerned, the structural end of things is as important as what the sculpture looks like in the end," he says. These sculptures are often up to 9 feet tall, can weigh tons, and need to be transported and delivered by truck all over the country. So having a structurally sound sculpture for transport is essential.

Since these sculptures are very large, Neil usually makes them hollow with the exception of a few solid concrete pieces. Most of his sculptures have a solid concrete base to give them a bottom weight to help hold the sculpture on the trailer. "We strap them down, but I want them heavy enough and center weighted so they don't tip over on the trailer," Neil says.