Bill Scimio

Bill Scimio

artist

Biography

An avid outdoorsman, Bill Scimio of Spruce Creek, Pa., draws inspiration from the natural world and the often-overlooked treasures found there—an antler shed, a grouse feather, an oak branch and acorn. These treasures manifest themselves in a variety of media—metal sculpture, bracelets, antler horn or stone carvings.Scimio and his work refuse to be categorized. His art is honest, frank, and unpretentious. Whether wielding a hammer or an ebony pencil, Scimio follows his muse with Neil Young abandonment—changing, experimenting, growing.

Scimio grew up in Sewickley, a small town in the shadow of Pittsburgh’s skyline and its blue-collar work ethic, and it is only natural that metal has become his medium of choice. One of his ﬁrst jobs was at a sheet-metal shop to earn money for college. Settling in Spruce Creek after graduating from Penn State, Scimio found himself again in a place rich in iron-age history. The Spruce Creek valley today is lush green, accentuated by a blue-ribbon trout stream. A pristine hardwood-covered ridge dominates the landscape. But, not too long ago, charcoal pits and iron furnaces pocketed the terrain and black smoke ﬁlled the air. Scimio takes inspiration from the past and present of this landscape.

Scimio has exhibited his work in regional shows such as the Western Pennsylvania Wildlife Art Expo and The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Arts Biennial exhibition, and he has done commission work for numerous wildlife non-proﬁt organizations including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ruffed Grouse Society, and Trout Unlimited.
With his wife, April, as partner and collaborator, black Lab Arlo and Hattie the cat, as regular companions, Scimio continues to make a wide range of art that reﬂects his passions.

About the Bracelets

Bill Scimio’s bracelet designs are drawn from the natural world and its various interpretations seen in petroglyphs, totems, and carvings. Creating his own visual vernacular inspired by these sources, he’s developed a series of acid-etched copper bracelets perfect for both men and women.

Each bracelet is made from pure copper plate, hand-cut, ﬁled, and shaped to size. The acid-etching process involves meticulously painting each design on the bracelet surface with a resist medium, and then the bracelet rests in an acid bath for several hours. After the acid bath, the resist is removed, and guilder’s paste or other darkening agent is applied to give contrast and depth to the image. Sanding, bufﬁng, burnishing, and polishing ﬁnishes the bracelet.

Some bracelets have an applied brass design. Here, the design is drawn and cut out of re-purposed brass dog tags then carefully ﬁled to the ﬁnal shape. It’s soldered onto the copper bracelet. At that point the surrounding design is painted onto the bracelet before it goes into the acid bath. The result is a unique piece of wearable art.