Nils Westphal
Mixed-media sculptor
Nils is a mixed-media sculptor using 100% reclaimed materials including metal, wood, rope, and wire. His practice is rooted in transforming overlooked objects into works of renewed beauty and structure.
Barque - salvaged pickaxe head, electric motor casings, rebar, copper wire.
Torii Gate - a single piece of reclaimed chestnut wood.
Maple Bonsai - in a salvaged copper basin, local limestone, river stones.
Coral - upcycled timber staircase offcut, scorched wood, wire, Atlantic beach stones.
Winter Bonsai - salvaged industrial copper wire, dead vine root.
Console Table - salvaged oak mantelpiece, reclaimed oak beam, industrial steel beams.
Bird in Flight - salvaged agricultural sickles, forged steel axe head, hammerhead, steel wire.
Snapping Turtle - salvaged iron water trough, vintage flat iron, mechanical rat trap, steel wire.
Moine - restored antique bed warmer, hammered copper-plated aluminum, electrical fittings.
Wheels Turning - antique cast iron stove rings, salvaged kitchen door hinges, crystals, organic matter.
The Enterprise - salvaged auto fuel injectors, electric motor copper wire, reclaimed steel, chestnut wood.
Spring Lamp - salvaged steel sofa springs, motor copper wire, clear varnish, electrica components.
Protea - salvaged agricultural equipment, steel barrel rings, cast iron, copper, bronze, wire.
About Nils
Nils Westphal (Seconde Vie Studio) is a mixed-media sculptor who works entirely with reclaimed materials—metal, wood, rope, wire, and other objects that have already had a life before finding their way into his hands.Originally from Hamburg, Germany, Nils was educated and trained as a mechanical engineer and spent many years in business consulting. Along the way, life took him well beyond Germany—to Austria, rural South Africa, the United States, Spain, and now the Charente region of France, which he calls home.
A relative newcomer to the visual arts, Nils brings an unusual combination of technical understanding, curiosity, and a strong instinct for form and composition to his work. His growing collection reflects both the engineer’s appreciation for how things fit together and the artist’s interest in what discarded materials might become.His sculptures are also shaped by the many places he has lived and the cultures and landscapes he has encountered along the way. At Seconde Vie Studio—literally, “Second Life”—materials that might otherwise be overlooked are reimagined, reshaped, and given another reason to be noticed.His works range from small objects to large-scale pieces, including garden sculptures, wall works, furniture, and functional or decorative forms.He occasionally takes on bespoke work. Please contact him directly to discuss.
Contact
If you have a question, don't hesitate to contact me through this form.Once I emerge from my workshop, I will get back to you as soon as I can (typically within 48 hours).