When you think of an aluminum can, the first thought that might come to mind is probably your favorite soft drink or beer, right? You might also think about what an amazing, infinitely recyclable material aluminum is, and how the recycling process saves energy and helps preserve the environment. The aluminum can, which was designed to keep foods and beverages fresh, has been around for more than 100 years.
What if I told you that aluminum cans are being used to create beautiful works of art? It’s true. They are called alumosaics, and Jeff Ivanhoe is the creator of this absolutely delightful art form.
Ivanhoe has been producing incredible art pieces since 1981. He studied art at the University of Arizona and ultimately became a graphic artist who went to work in the advertising field. He also worked with several celebrities, such as Julie Andrews, Bill Bixby and E.G. Marshall, setting up promotional sets for them.
When I sat down with Ivanhoe, my first question was, “How in the world did you ever come up with the idea to use aluminum cans in such an unusual way to create beautiful art?”
“A stretch shoelace patented idea is where it originated from,” was his response. Ivanhoe invented a shoelace that would stretch, making it possible to insert your foot into a shoe by just pulling on the tongue of the shoe, without having to tie a knot on the shoe itself. It was an innovative invention. As he was getting ready to take this concept into mass manufacturing, he decided he wanted to present his invention with something unique. He thought of aluminum cans, so he started cutting cans into tiny pieces and wrapping the pieces around the tips of the shoelaces. He made hundreds of shoelaces and, as a result, he had a profusion of aluminum pieces lying around.
One day, his wife started moving some of the pieces around. He asked her what she was doing and told her she’d never be able to do anything with them. When he came back about an hour later, he found that she had created the shape of an object with the pieces. They looked at each other and said, “Oh my gosh!” They knew they were onto something.
For the next week, they worked on putting together a portrait of a Native American. The piece unfortunately did not last very long and had to be destroyed. Since this was his first creation, Ivanhoe did not know how to seal the piece properly, and the portrait developed mold. As he continued producing pieces, he improved the process, which resulted in spectacular works of art.
His work started to appear in galleries and libraries. It was even featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and appeared in national newspapers in 1982. He was amazed at the response and interest he received as a result of the publicity. This further fueled his desire and passion to create even more beautiful pieces. Some of his work has made it into the private collections of several celebrities.
It’s truly amazing how Ivanhoe is able to pick out pieces from a can of Coke Zero to create spoke wheels on a classic roadster and then add pieces from a Mountain Dew can to create grass underneath the wheels. On the piece featured below, you can clearly see this effect.
“Years ago, in the ’30s, people would pull their cars off the road and have a little picnic. There were not very many places to eat back then, so people would carry food in their cars. They pulled off onto the grass, and that is where they had their little picnic,” Ivanhoe said. That’s the story behind the piece above.
When you first look at Ivanhoe’s art from a distance (about eight feet or so), you say to yourself, that is one beautiful work of art. You’re attracted and intrigued by the piece, and you begin to move closer. As you get closer, you start to notice that there’s something different about it. When you’re right in front of it, you come to a realization and say to yourself, those are pieces of aluminum cans! Incredible! That was my reaction when I witnessed Ivanhoe’s art collection.
So what has Ivanhoe been working on lately?
About two years ago, an auto dealer from Cleveland approached Ivanhoe about creating a custom alumosaic. “He said to me, I want one of these, but I want a ’57 Thunderbird, with the name of my dealership on a billboard in the background,” Ivanhoe explained.
That was the first car Ivanhoe put together, and he really enjoyed it. “After I did that one, I said, ‘I love doing cars.’ I’ve gotten better at it, and now all I want to do is cars.” His latest piece is a gorgeous 1957 Corvette, pictured below. He has also created a ’63 Corvette, a ’57 Mercedes-Benz 300SL, a ’57 Chevy and a Shelby Cobra, just to name a few.
The ’57 Corvette is on display at the Scottsdale International Auto Museum with about 25 others. Ivanhoe hopes to display his latest passion for cars through his alumosaics. “People can take a look at my work, hopefully make a purchase and maybe even ask me to do a certain car,” he said.
I asked Ivanhoe what his favorite masterpiece was. There is only one that stands out in his mind. “I have had many people call me on this piece indicating that the expression portrayed moved them,” he responded. He is referring to the piece he calls “The Chief.” On this piece, he has been able to capture a state of emotion on the subject portrayed. It is that of calmness, self-assurance and self-power. “This is the one I feel the strongest about.” I love cars, of course, but there is something about this one that stands out,” he confided.
Upon concluding my interview with Ivanhoe, I asked a simple question, “Why do you do this?” He responded that he was destined to do this, and this is his passion that drives him. He also said, “If I continue to sell more pieces, great, but success to me is what I’ve created, with her help,” meaning his wife, Barbara. “She has been there with me the whole time.” His wife is his inspiration. “I know in my mind when I leave this Earth, these things are going to exist and my name is on them. It’s a selfish thing you see,” he noted as he smiled proudly. “Just think … two hundred years from now, my son’s son’s son will probably have one of my pieces. Someone may even ask, what crazy person did this? That is what it’s all about,” concluded Ivanhoe.
Editor’s note: After 30 years of perfecting the art of creating alumosaics, Ivanhoe decided to share his technique with others. “I thought people would enjoy recycling aluminum cans, as I have for years, into metallic creations,” he said. Ivanhoe has created an instructional DVD on how to create alumosaics. If you would like to learn how to create your own alumosaics, visit Jeff Ivanhoe’s website at alumosaics.com.
