Although Lange gets a tremendous amount of gratification from his work, he does not sculpt just for himself, but for his business, Phil's Metal Works, launched in 1997 from his home studio in Los Gatos.

Lange was first introduced to metal work in high school, where he became a leading metal shop student and then a teacher's assistant after graduation. At 22 years old, Lange became a steelworker for the U.S. Navy and served during the Vietnam War. After completing his military duty, Lange married and started a family. Although he loved working with metal, he ended up in the hospital industry for 15 years.

After his hospital work, Lange decided to follow his original interest. He started dabbling in metal sculpture again, attempting to sell his work at flea markets. It proved too upscale for the market patrons, so Lange aimed for a more artistic audience. The artist community responded with positive recognition, providing Lange the needed push to produce more work. "I gained self-esteem through my art. People buying my art verified that I'm a good artist, and I guess that I'm a good person too," Lange says.

What ensued was a chain of creations leading to his current work. Stone chains gave way to spring-loaded abstract sculptures. The abstracts then became fish, as each weighted end turned into a head and a tail. "It's been an evolutionary process," he says. "I'm amazed at how things have evolved."

Lange also began to create interlocking beetle and ant chains, which garnered much attention. After selling one of the beetle chains to the Triton Museum of Art in San Jose, he realized his potential. "That blew me away," he says, "that somebody would pay a lot of money for something like that." Lange began to win prizes in art competitions, including best in show and first place at the South Bay Fine Arts Competition for his hammerhead shark sculpture.

What distinguishes his fish and shark sculptures is the unique kinetic movement, which allows the fish tail to move independently of the body with the wind, mimicking the swimming motion of a fish.

"I do believe it's a God thing," Lange says of the inspiration for his work. "I think a higher power is looking out for me. I have no idea where it came from. It flows right out of me."

Lange's big break came in 2001 when the Los Gatos Arts Commission held a contest for public art.

Local artist and arts commission member Elke Groves encouraged Lange to submit his proposal. "She essentially reinstated me and said it would be nice to have my work for the town," he says. Community staff members Regina Falkner and Susan Buxton also encouraged Lange.

The decision proved wise, as Lange was selected, along with Marilyn Kuksht, to display work on the civic center lawn.

"What's interested everyone is the kinetic aspect," Buxton says. "It's such fun to watch. And it is definitely different than anything else we have at the civic center."

Lange planned to install a 10-foot catfish, but ended up with a 4-foot sculpture due to personal tragedy that prevented him from finishing a larger work. Entitled "Los Gatos Pescado," the fish sits atop the community bulletin board kiosk on the corner of Main Street and Fiesta Way. The fish is modeled after an African catfish and is comprised of a steel plate head, a stone eye, and copper-colored sheet metal wrapped over the steel body.

In addition to his fish sculptures, Lange enjoys the process of revisiting traditional objects, such as curtain rods or entry gates, and reinventing them into sculpted, attractive, and functional art. "I want to make it fun and to create that awe for creativity," he says.

Although Lange has just finished several projects, he is already thinking ahead, planning new works and keeping his dream alive to design large works for institutions and hotels, eventually landing a spot at the Guggenheim Museum in Spain. "We all have our little dreams," he says with a smile.

Phil Lange will be participating in Open Studios on May 17 and 18. His studio is located at 16214 Redwood Lodge Road, Los Gatos. His work will also be on display in the Mountain Art Guild Show on May 31 and June 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Radonich Ranch, located at 25140 Highland Way, as well as June 14 and 15 at the Ruth Bancroft Garden Sculpture Walk in Walnut Creek. For more information visit www.philsmetalworks.com.