Kalamazoo, Michigan
Merrill ‘Sonny’ Dalton

Mixed metals, wire
1983
Height: 8.5 in; Length: 8 in
Other – Sculptures

Engraved on bottom: Sonny Dalton 

This signed Sonny Dalton (1933-2011) mixed-metal steampunk locomotive sculpture is comprised of various found parts including the bell to a metal clarinet, a clarinet mouthpiece, small engine and other metal bits and pieces.  The hood of the train cabin comes from a copper belt buckle engraved with a cowboy watering his horses in a creek.  Sculptor Sonny Dalton was known for his unique and often whimsical sculptures.

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.  He most often used pieces from musical instruments, combining them with miscellaneous metal objects, such as ball bearings and findings as seen here.