Artist Summary

Seeking to portray the very detailed naturalistic beauty and peace found in nature through his art, Houston born sculptor, Jeff Nabona(b. 1962), lives and works in Austin, Texas. His easily recognized sculptures mostly keep the raw, natural, silver-grey color and metallic sheen of the steel used, with only minor exceptions for emphasis. He intends for his art to become a physical inspiration for us to become a better version of ourselves by not settling for what we are, but looking beyond our current situation, to something greater.

Brief Bio

Seeking to portray the very detailed naturalistic beauty and peace found in nature through his art, Houston born sculptor, Jeff Nabona(b. 1962), lives and works in Austin, Texas. The medium of his tabletop sized works, are a wide variety of discarded, used, and repurposed steel objects. These materials are cleaned, welded, and formed into natural scenarios that intentionally probe situations humans face daily, often using personification to give new insight from an observer’s perspective. In his handmade works, he has developed novel welding techniques to use an ordinary welder to achieve extremely fine details. His easily recognized sculptures mostly keep the raw, natural, silver-grey color and metallic sheen of the steel used, with only minor exceptions for emphasis.

Nabona credits two concepts to the message of his art: transformation and hope. Transformation is represented by the unwanted steel objects finding a new purpose for their existence through change and a new life. Hope is explored in the idea of the viewer finding a greater meaning in the representation of something beautiful using something useless or unwanted. He intends for his art to become a physical inspiration for us to become a better version of ourselves by not settling for what we are, but looking beyond our current situation, to something greater. He asks, “If these inanimate objects can find a new meaningful existence, then can’t we, as sentient beings, have an even more profound experience?” Nabona investigates naturalistic situations and builds a story or asks a question through each of his creations, pushing his work beyond the reach of typical decorative sculpture.

Nabona says the impact of following Jesus Christ and support from his family are responsible for the transformation and hope in his own life, and the peace and understanding he now holds dear.

In 2024, Nabona was awarded a First Place ribbon and Best Of Show ribbon for his entry “My Parlor” in the “Teachers & Professional Division”, Texas State Fair, Dallas, Texas. Recent group exhibitions where Nabona’s work has been shown include: “Nature and Fiber”, The Grand Gallery at Frisco Discovery Center, Frisco, Texas, (2026); “Monochrome”, RTown Gallery, Grapevine, Texas, (2025); State Fair of Texas, Dallas, Texas, (2024); The People’s Gallery, Austin City Hall, Austin, Texas, (2022-2024).