Manuel Sarmiento, an Oak Cliff native, is a green metal artist. He prides himself on his green metal-art practices. “I hate seeing any kind of metal going to waste. I use whatever metals I can find, and I consider myself both an artist and eco-friendly recycler. There’s so much metal that goes to waste, and a lot of the discarded metal I see make beautiful pieces of art.”

He doesn’t plan his projects, instead using whatever he finds and then creating. He typically uses carbon steel, copper or stainless steel from local metal recycling facilities, friends, and family.

Carbon steel is his current favorite – “It is a lot easier to weld and shape than other metals.”

He bends and shapes the recycled metal into an array of sculptures – dancers, torsos, fish, and unusual shapes. And he does it all while being able to see through only one eye.