STEMPKA DESIGNS
AVAILABLE WORK
AVAILABLE WORK
THE INNER MAN
“The Inner Man” arrives like a quiet revelation cast in metal and light. This life-size steel-rod sculpture does not merely depict a human figure—it unveils one. With arms outstretched in a gesture that recalls both Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man and the crucified Christ, the figure stands between two states: one foot planted in the material world, the other lifted toward the unknown.
Its head becomes a tight coil of steel spiraling upward, like thought escaping the skull—an open, humming absence that seems to see more clearly than any portrait could.
The material is part of the message. Thousands of steel rods are woven, twisted, and tensioned into a translucent exoskeleton. Light passes through the figure, turning it into a living lantern. Warm orange and cool cyan ignite the negative space in dramatic photographs, while brighter views reveal a serene, almost sacred presence. The work is both shadowed and luminous, ancient and newly born.
Two large copper rings surround the figure like halo and orbit, suggesting eternal return, cycles of death and rebirth, and invisible fields of energy. Its facelessness is a final democratic gesture, inviting each viewer to recognize the inner self beneath every mask.
Available — Price Upon Request
Lion of Judah
“Lion of Judah” is a full-scale metal sculpture of a male African lion, meticulously assembled from thousands of reclaimed steel nuts and copper. Negative space gives the body movement and depth, while the composition embodies strength, resilience, courage, and renewal.
Recycled steel nuts form the lion’s muscular structure and full proportions, while warm copper creates the mane. The labor-intensive welding process transforms discarded materials into an enduring work with both structural and visual presence.
Negative space defines the lion’s powerful form, creating a changing relationship between solidity and emptiness as the sculpture is viewed from different angles.
Months of precise assembly brought the work to life, blending ancient symbolism with contemporary craftsmanship. The process has been shared through behind-the-scenes studio footage, and the finished sculpture was featured on Fox & Friends.
Available for purchase for the first time, “Lion of Judah” demonstrates the transformative power of art through redemption, courage, and renewal.
Available — Price Upon Request
