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  • The Museum
    • Mission
    • Vision
    • Values
    • Code of Ethics
    • Artist Compensation and Attribution Standards
    • Anatomy Set in Stone
    • Galleries + Collections
    • The School of Mosaic Environments
    • Founder Field Notes
  • The Founder
    • About Rachael Que Vargas
    • Artist Statement
    • Curriculum Vitae
  • Portfolio
    • Public Art
    • Commissioned Artworks
    • Mosaic
      • Mosaic in Marble
      • Mosaic in Glass
      • Mosaic in Bottle Caps
      • Mosaic in Ceramic
    • Jewelry
    • Sculpture
      • Abstract Sculpture
      • Figurative Sculptures
      • Kinetic Sculpture
      • Narrative Sculpture
      • Masks
    • Functional Art
      • Fences, Gates and Trellises
      • Art Furniture
      • Masquerade Bell Lanterns
      • Luminaries
    • Early Work
      • Installation Art
      • Mixed Media 1995–2001
  • Press
    • Book
    • Magazine
    • Newspaper
    • Exhibit Catalog
    • Television
    • Radio
    • Podcast
    • Websites and Blogs
    • CD, DVD + LP
  • Contact
  • Help/FAQ
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Shop
    • Shop Mosaics
    • Shop Jewelry
    • Shop the Archives (Vintage Works)
    • Shop Fire Pits
    • About Hudson Valley Fire Pits
      • Fire Pit Gallery— Residential Design
      • Fire Pit Gallery— Hospitality Design
      • Fire Pit Gallery— Liturgical Design
      • Fire Pit Gallery— Custom Designed Fire Features
      • Fire Pit Gallery— Fountains + Pools
      • Press for Hudson Valley Fire Pits
      • Where to see Hudson Valley Fire Pits
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Fences, Gates and Trellises

Fences, gates and trellises were one of my favorite things to design when I first started doing metal work. Incorporating found objects, glass or stone, and non-ferrous metals was something I believe I pioneered… it was certainly not a common practice. I made a few few pieces with kinetic elements and experimented with narrative panels.

MacIntosh Gate, 2004

MacIntosh Gate, 2004Steel48″ x 36″ x 2″Private Collection This is

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Abstract Art Nouveau Garden Screen, 2004

Abstract Art Nouveau Garden Screen, 2004Steel, copper68.5″ x 38.5″ x

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Bittersweet Vine Motif Steel and Copper Trellis, 2004

Bittersweet Vine Steel and Copper Trellis, 2004Steel, Copper36″ x 20″

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Acrobat Fence for Discovery Playhouse, 2011

Discovery Playhouse commissioned this fence for their Children’s Museum in Cape Girardeau, MO. The faces in the fence are glass mosaic, which were complete as a project with a local arts group.

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Trellis Trilogy, 2014

These three panels are each 50 x 50 inches and are installed on the wall of a roof-top garden in Pompano Beach, FL. The client had seen several of my other scrap fence designs and wanted something similar for her space. This was the first commissioned project I did in the Hudson, NY studio.

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Custom Security Grates with Kinetic Sculpture Design

These two grates are a commission for an apartment building

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Legba Gate and Devil Gate

The gates shown here are largely created from various recycled elements. They were part of a larger project in Chicago, IL by Kenneth Morrison on which I collaborated.

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Steel Grates in Style

Window Grilles, 2005:steel, 20.75″ H x 20″ W x .25″

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Modern Security Grates in Steel + Copper

E. Jones wanted burglar bars for her ground floor windows, but she didn’t want to feel like she was in prison when she looked through them.

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Frank Lloyd Wright Styled Fence in Steel, Slate, Copper + Glass

The floral pattern in these fences was designed to complement clerestory windows overlooking the courtyard where they are installed. Incorporating natural slate, iridescent glass mosaic tile and copper, this project is the culmination of techniques I have been developing over the past few years.

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City Gates, 4022 N. Sheridan Road Chicago

City Gates, commissioned by Bob Racky for his offices at 4022 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, features two pairs of gates based on maps of the Chicago area. The south gates show Riverside, IL and feature urban planning by Frederic Law Olmstead in the lower left corner. It’s not on every project that an ironworker gets to “quote” the designer of Central Park!

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A Love Story: Narrative Fence in Steel, Glass, Copper and Brass

Having seen pictures of my Acrobat Fence, my friends Howie and JoAnn approached me to design four sections of fence to enclose a round garden at their Evanston, Illinois residence. Together, they scripted a narrative telling the story of their lives together in four acts: meeting and falling in love; traveling Asia; their first child, Gabriel; and their second child, Julian.

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Scrap Iron Fence 2208 S. Halsted Chicago, IL

A collaboration with Kenneth Morrison. He originated the concept and sketched a rough layout for overall project. I designed and fabricated indivdual panels. The choice of which panels went together was his. It was a little like an enormous steel version of the exquisite corpse game played by the Surrealists…in which players take turns adding to a drawing without seeing the parts drawn by the last player.

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Scrap Iron Fence Part Two, Chicago, IL 2003

The most interesting part of this half of the fence design (installed on Cermak, around the corner from part one) is that several of the elements are kinetic and can be moved or repositioned.

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Steel + Mosaic Fence with Tumbling Acrobats

These graceful figures suggest both the motion of their dance and the music that moves them. The obvious joy of the figures is engaging— but their simplicity is what really captivates us. We can easily see ourselves, someone we know, or the person we might like to be in this dance.

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