About the Artist
Michael Christian was born in Dallas, TX, where he spent his childhood. Christian pursued his BFA at the University of Texas at Austin before an extensive apprenticeship for late American sculptor, Luis Jimenez. As he set out to create his own large scale sculptures, Christian moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 1995. Now, Christian’s large-scale steel creations have homes in city centers, private collections, and at events in North America, Europe, and Australia. His playful and interactive sculptures, inspired by organic forms and patterns in nature, are a mainstay at art and music festivals across the country. In addition to his sculpture, Christian continues to exhibit his drawings and paintings, as they play an integral part of his creative process.
Artist Statement
My work begins with simple shapes and ideas that make me pause and smile. I am inspired by the quiet intelligence in nature and the way forms grow, stretch, and shift on their own. I try to capture that feeling in steel and let each piece reveal what it wants to become.
I build to explore, not to explain. The process is a conversation between curiosity, gravity, and material. A small sketch can become a structure that someone can stand inside or walk around. I enjoy that moment when imagination becomes something you can touch.
My hope is that these sculptures offer a brief interruption from the everyday. If someone stops, looks closer, or feels a spark of curiosity, then the work has done what it needed to do. I simply try to build things that make me smile, and hopefully they make others smile too.
I make things that feel alive, even if they don’t move.
© 2026 Michael Christian. All Rights Reserved.