CENTRAL — There’s a fungus among us. But wait, it’ll grow on you.
From foraged mushrooms to edible flower buds and succulents, Sam Shrout, the owner of Nature’s Foundry, is creating one-of-a-kind metal castings that turn temporary items into forever art.
St. George News recently visited Shrout to learn about his art, the creation process and the story behind it.
Down a dusty dirt road, beyond a short path next to Shrout’s home-on-wheels, a shop filled with metal art came into view, where inside, fantastical creations epitomize the idea of art imitating life.
“This is a chanterelle mushroom, which are really tasty and really cool, but they only last for about a week and then they’re gone,” Shrout said, pointing at one of his metal-casted mushrooms. “So this is a way for me to take something that is very temporary and turn it into a sculpture that you can see forever.”
Before delving into metal casting, Shrout, who is originally from Ivins, spent time building custom things for Nike and Adidas in New York, San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest. Feeling burnt out from work, he decided to dabble in the arts as a form of release and creativity.
“I never really noticed mushrooms until I got up there,” he said about the Pacific Northwest. “It’s like the whole world of mushrooms just got opened up to me. I went foraging in the mountains and was able to find all these cool little shapes that inspired me.”
After slabbing up a piece of walnut he found in Washington State, Shrout said he left it out in the rain too long. In a matter of days, a mushroom began to grow. Already a fan of metal casting, he decided to try using the mushroom. And it worked.
Shrout said he’s a student of YouTube and has learned many things, including how to build his own metal foundry, which is a place to melt metal.
“There’s a crucible in here, and I put a big old flame burner through the side there,” he said of his foundry. “It sends the current up and out this hole and keeps all that heat inside and melts whatever metal you want.”
Shrout said he takes a mushroom, puts it in gypsum cement, sends it through a kiln and pours in the metal he wants to use. While most of the mushrooms were found in Washington State, he also grows his own mushrooms at home.
To create an additional eye-catching flair, Shrout began developing bismuth crystals – a pure metal that’s as dense as lead – on the mushroom caps.
“When you can capture the crystals in the right way and pull it out of the mold, it’s neat,” he said. “Every metal has its own crystal structure, but this one is just pronounced and flamboyant and beautiful. And it’s just ridiculous. It’s really fun to work with.”
Shrout also creates functional art, such as mushroom keychains. His overall goal is to create fine art and larger pieces. One of his current passion projects is melting metal into slabs of wood.
“I’m a carpenter, a welder, I like to do all the things,” Shrout said. “I really enjoy woodworking and metalworking, and I like abstract fine art, cubism. My art is meant to be touched. It’s tactile, it’s heavy, it’s meant to be looked at up close and … it’s fun to touch.”
Shrout will be out of town on a work project until May. For those hoping to purchase one of his pieces, he said orders can be placed and art pieces will be held while the shop is closed. To learn more, visit Nature’s Foundry on Instagram and message him directly.
Photo Gallery
Sam Shrout, the owner of Nature's Foundry, stands with his mushroom art inside his shop in Central, Utah, April 12, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
A bismuth crystal skull created by Sam Shrout is created with a deer skull found in Utah, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Sam Shrout via @natures_foundry on Instagram
A metal-cast mushroom features bismuth crystals in Central, Utah, April 12, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Patinated romanesco broccoli is metal-cast to create art, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Sam Shrout via @natures_foundry on Instagram
A metal-cast succulent by Sam Shrout is pictured in Central, Utah, April 12, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Items found in nature are metal-cast into art by Sam Shrout in Central, Utah, April 12, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Metal-cast mushrooms sit on a workbench in Central, Utah, April 12, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Pink oyster mushrooms are metal-cast to create art, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Sam Shrout via @natures_foundry on Instagram
Larger metal-cast art pieces by Nature's Foundry include a succulent, Central, Utah, April 12, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
A metal-cast mushroom features bismuth crystals in Central, Utah, April 12, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
An echeveria succulent art piece by Nature's Foundry features bismuth crystals, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Sam Shrout via @natures_foundry on Instagram
Sam Shrout, the owner of Nature's Foundry, stands with his mushroom art inside his shop in Central, Utah, April 12, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Sam Shrout combines his metal and woodwork into a table, Central, Utah, April 12, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
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