AN OXY torch is as good as a paintbrush in Ron Clarke’s hands. Known as “the man that paints with fire”, the Darlington Point resident is the first person in the world to be recognised for being able to make a three- dimensional sculpture out of a flat piece of steel.

A down to earth, friendly guy who loves what he does, Mr Clarke was inspired by artist Frederick Remington when, as a young boy, he witnessed an art exhibition in London. Clarke’s love for painting took a turn in the mid-1980s when developing a metal sign for a farming business in Darlington Point.

Three-dimensional shapes were incorporated into a silhouette of a Steger tractor to create the sculptures.

Since that time Mr Clarke has created hundreds of sculptures, including 1.54-metre high bakers designed to stand outside bake houses, over- sized koalas, teams of silhouetted Clydesdale horses, and even recently Ned Kelly. Mr Clarke has even been commissioned to sculpt a Caterpillar tractor to hang outside Sydney’s Gough and Gilmour.

Having learned everything he knows from his late father, Mr Clarke runs a family business and is teaching his sons, Ron and Rob, his unique craftsmanship.

“Often people can’t believe some of the designs I make,” Mr Clarke said. “I have had people who have been involved in the steel industry all their life telling me they have never seen a piece of steel cut like this.

“Unfortunately for metal producers I don’t go through much steel in a year, but I have certainly caused a lot of guys to go through a lot of steel trying to replicate my designs.”

Winning the Australian Steel Innovation Award was a surprise to Mr Clarke, who was up against stiff competition such as CGC Kymon, manufacturers of precision forgings for wind turbines, as well as CVW Engineering, work holding devices, ForkFork – SAFE International, Traffic control systems, JNI Pallet Systems, collapsible timber pallet converters, and Wairua Holdings, double action hinge systems.

In a competitive, steel market, Mr Clarke’s love of his job makes it all worthwhile.