In a phenomenal display of creativity, artist Marc Schneider has managed to transform ordinary metal screws into an art medium. He painstakingly arranges thousands of gray scale screws to create detailed portraits that look like black and white photographs.

Schneider starts by taking a photo and modifying the pixels into a gray scale template. Using the pixelated photograph as a reference, he uses thousands of hand sprayed screws to replicate the photo on a block of wood.  “I enjoy working in a medium that embodies strength and durability, allowing the viewer to touch the art and experience the unique surface created by thousands of screws,” he wrote on his website. “The meticulous approach in the creation of my screw art portraits is medicine for my soul.”

Schneider revealed that he gave up a successful Wall Street career to focus on his ‘screw art’ full time. He used to be a “weekend warrior”, engaging in woodwork and other home improvement projects whenever he found the time, so working with metal screws was familiar ground. He instantly fell in love with the medium and has never regretted his drastic career change.

“Attention to detail in screw placement and adjustments to the build template result in a high resolution photo as the viewer steps away from the piece,” he said. “Capturing the facial expression in a portrait, with a close focus on the eyes and mouth, allows for an understanding of the emotion portrayed by the subject.”

Schneider’s work is available for purchase on Etsy. He currently accepts commissions for custom made screw art portraits, which will set you back around $2,000.

Marc Schneider isn’t the first artist to use metal screws as the main medium of his art. In 2011, we featured Laguna Beach-based artist Andrew Myers, who also uses screws to create three-dimensional painting-like artworks, but Marc’s level of detail and mastery of tones and shading is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

Photos © Marc Schneider/Photo Screw Art

Thanks for reaching out, Marc!