Cemetery Folk Art Pieces - Made with Love

Hand Crafted Metal Angels

Glowing Cross

If you wander through the newer sections of some Midwestern cemeteries, you may see a few wire or metal pieces; sculptured and shaped, positioned near graves.  These may take the form of crosses, hearts, angels, even fish. 

Free Form Heart

Metal Flower

Many wire pieces have been purchased from garden supply stores and used as a special tribute to the person buried there. But some have been lovingly, and patiently, hand–crafted.

Elaborate Metal Cemetery Entrance

Arched Metal Cemetery Entrance

There is something permanent yet graceful about using wire or iron.  This could be why so many older cemeteries have the names spelled out in metal with simple or elaborate gates and arches at the entrances.

Silver Metal Crosses

Black Iron Cross

For many years, iron or metal crosses were used instead of the more traditional wooden or stone markers.

Hook for Flowers

Heart with Flags

Some pieces consist of a shepherds crook from which to hang flowers – or flags.

Black Iron Heart

Iron Heart

Other pieces have been fashioned out of iron and pounded into the desired shape.

Heart with Name

Initials with Flowers

Bendable wire is the main material used, the shapes come from someone’s desire to share a little bit about the deceased…a name, or initials.

Hand Crafted Metal Fish

A hobby, such as fishing, may be sculpted from metal.

Hook with Hummingbird

Hook with Bird

Birds may indicate the grave of a bird-lover.....

Joined Birds

Metal Sculpted Birds

Or the soul taking wing to soar......

Chain Fashioned into Hook

Metal Flywheel

Even unusual metal objects that depicted someone's  profession, or the tools of their trade have been used.

Metal Message in Heart

Sometimes a heart-felt message is left…

Hearts and Cross

Metal Hat & Flowers on Hooks

In some cemeteries, these folk art remembrances abound.

May 22, 1920

Cemetery without Metal Pieces

In others, there’s not a trace of them.

Hand Crafted Heart

But all of these cemetery folk art pieces are a way to tell a story about someone; or maybe a way to assist the craftsman in dealing with the loss of someone special – a tribute to them, a remembrance.

~ Joy

The idea of this blog post came about after two very dear friends took my husband and I to the graves of their premature triplets.  They wanted more than just a stone with names and a date, but weren’t sure what.  After some consideration they decided on angels.  The result was three detailed wire angel sculptures the father hand crafted individually and then joined together – two boys with blue ribbon halos, and one girl with a white halo.

The father also crafted the three joined fish for his grandfather who was a fisherman.  Both metal sculptures - lasting labors of love.