Devil's Rope Studio

03/17/2026

The last of seven different table top pieces completed for one client. Introducing “QUILL” the pheasant. Quill is 19” tall, made out of 12.5 gauge wire and 14 gauge sheet steel. He’s standing on a small tree stump with one of his tail feathers gently laying beneath him. Once again the entire sculpture is mounted on an old ag disc… (I don’t know what I’m going to do once I run out of these old rusty disc’s as they make for perfect mounts for a lot of my table top pieces. Enjoy the short video of Quill.

03/11/2026

This is second to the last of seven table top pieces for one of my clients. Meet “Whistledown” the Wood Duck. Woodys have a very distinct call. Both their voice as well as the speed of flight will make you think someone got lost and are blowing their survival whistle. The males are very colorful and have a unique head dress. One of my most favorite in the duck family. Mounted on a “tree branch” protruding out of the “water”, which is an old ag disc, this sculpture stands 22” and an overall width of 12”. He’s made of 12 1/2 and 9 gauge wire with a piece of scrap black pipe for the branch base.

One to go…

03/06/2026

Ten years ago, in a casual conversation, I mentioned to my brother the fascinating true story of the 1957 Cincinnati Reds. Their fans famously stuffed the ballot boxes, voting so many of the team’s everyday players into the starting lineup for the mid-season All-Star Game that it sparked a major controversy and even led baseball’s commissioner to step in.
That offhand comment planted a seed. Over the next decade, my brother developed a compelling fictional storyline around the scandal, blending historical facts with vivid imagination. The result is his debut novel, The Seven, the first book in his “Silent Witnesses” series.
The series takes real sports scandals from the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s and weaves them into gripping fictional narratives to bring those forgotten events vividly to life. His next installment, The Point, is slated to hit shelves around Christmas.
If you’re a fan of historical fiction—especially with a sports twist—check out The Seven by Darrell Best on Amazon. It’s a fantastic read.
I’m incredibly proud of my brother for discovering this creative outlet and turning a simple story into something so engaging. Congrats on bringing it all to life!

03/04/2026

Introducing two table top sculptures that’ll be available through a live auction which kicks off the 2026 Clare Irish Festival on March 11th. The auction will support the Big Brother Big Sisters organization as well as the Destination Clare Art Sculpture Walk. The banquet will be held at the Doherty Hotel in Clare, Michigan. Come and get a bidder paddle and support two amazing organizations. 50% of auction proceeds from each piece will go to BBBS with the other 50% going to Destination Clare Art Sculpture Walk. Both very deserving organizations.

Meet “Echo” the bugling elk and “Juniper” the carousel horse. Both pieces are made out of several hundred feet of 16 gauge and 9 gauge wire. Echo is 22” long and 20” tall, where Juniper is 15” long by 28” tall.

Juniper is mounted on a farm implement disc with a rebar carousel pole going through her body. Both hand constructed originals. Come and support the community of Clare and these great organizations.

Jeff Best.

01/29/2026

The American Bison 🦬 is on the loose. Meet “Sentinel”. Made out of 800 foot of 16 gauge wire, measuring 18” long by 15” tall. I thought I’d bring you into my studio this time and take you from start to finish with this build. Hope you enjoy.

01/09/2026

“Sovereign” Another table top sculpture finished for a long time return client as I rush to get several more finished for him. Sovereign the moose measures 17” long by 13” tall and made out of 500 foot of 16 gauge wire

01/01/2026

12/31/2025

Introducing “Straight Flush”. Made of 12 and 16 gauge wire, Straight Flush measures 18” tall by 22” long. Going to a great returning client here in Michigan. This was a fun build.

12/10/2025

Meet “IRON DAGGA”. Dagga is an African term for mud, and Cape Buffalo are known to wallow in mud when it’s available. This table top sculpture meatures 33” long by 23” tall and 15” wide. He’s made of 9 gauge wire, welded and ground into shape. He weighs 98 pounds and clear coated with a satin clear. And is mounted to a base shaped like the continent of Africa. 


09/22/2025

As a follow up… “Here Kitty, Kitty”…. We had quite a few guesses on the last video I posted asking for guesses… and I could actually see how each person came to the conclusion they did, especially when the sculpture had no ears yet. However, now with his ears and whiskers perhaps it’s a little more clear. Black Kitty is finally completed… well almost. This is a commission piece for a client in Wisconsin that rescued a “Black Kitty” that kept showing up at his home. Why this sculpture isn’t complete yet is because Black Kitty was a feral cat that evidently had been captured by the authorities once before… noted by the docked left ear, that I haven’t “docked” yet. It was docked to let others know that he had been fixed. Long story short, my client and his wife slowly gained the confidence of the feral cat and eventually made him a very happy family cat. Black Kitty also was polydactyl… or a cat sporting six toes on each foot, unlike normal cats that typically have five… Just one more special feature that made Black Kitty a valued pet. Black Kitty lived for many happy years until his passing a couple years ago.
This was a challenging yet fun build. Black Kitty is 18” by 18” and has over 750 foot of 16 gauge wire in his coat.. each wire welded into place one strand at a time.
Time to go out to the operating room to do that surgery on his ear… I just wanted you to see him pre-op

09/22/2025

750 feet of wire. One buck in motion. 🦌 “Refuge” captures the wild in steel and shape, standing 22” tall and 25” long. Handmade, welded, and full of raw energy.

👉 See more originals at devilsropestudio.com

09/21/2025

ArtPrize in Grand Rapids runs through October 4th. This beautiful art piece is by Clare, Michigan’s own Kim Kleinhardt . Kim creates meaningful composition. This mixed media composition on canvas using current newspaper and magazines title Coffee, Courage, Conversations. COFFEE - Simple cup of coffee. COURAGE- To start a message. CONVERSATION-Talking with respect-listening to understand. You can view this on line at Artprize 2025. #55485. Or you can see this in person at the Monroe Church in Grand Rapids.. And you can cast your vote!!