Kalamazoo, Michigan
Merrill ‘Sonny’ Dalton

Metal, glass, wire
1988
Height: 9 in; Width: 18 in
Other – Sculptures

Engraved on Kick Stand Tab: Sonny Dalton

This signed Sonny Dalton (1933-2011) mixed-metal motorcycle sculpture is an amazingly detailed piece. Sonny Dalton is renowned as a prolific and original junk sculpture artist with a great sense of humor reflected in many of his pieces.  Prior to his art career, he was a welder at General Motors. 
Sonny told the original buyer that this motorcycle was somewhat rare due to the scarcity of the old-fashioned baby buggy wheels with fenders.  These wheels and the ‘Indian Motorcycle’ like fenders are off an old ‘Taylor Tot’ metal baby stroller from the 1950s, even down to the small green tail lights.  Identifiable items in this piece include a hand grenade “gas tank”, springs, musical instrument parts/keys, baby buggy “wheels”, drill bit, cotter pin “kick stand”, gears, electronic parts, ash tray “saddlebags”, and a chain “seat”.   As seen here, he looked at metal junk differently than most of us. 

Sonny Dalton was a self-taught welder who quit his job at the GM factory to pursue his passion of welding.  Trains and motorcycles became his “signature” pieces.