This crab sculpture was commissioned for a gate in Hawaii. I received a photo from the client of the crab they wanted but they had no idea what type of crab it was. In order to do this incredible creature justice, I needed more reference photos and facts about the species.

I contacted a handful of marine biologists and a few got back to me with everything I needed. It turned out to be a crab called charybdis obtusifrons, found in Moorea and the IndoPacific. I would like to thank Dr. Megan Donahue from the University of Hawaii for her help and take a look at what she is currently working on. And I would like to thank Dr. Tom Wolcott and Dr. Donna Wolcott from North Carolina State University for their help. You can see some of their recent work in a PBS short.

I also created other crab sculptures: Blue Crab and Magic Crab.

It was a pleasure bringing this exquisite creature to life in metal. A unique challenge with this crab sculpture was achieving the jet black portions. Black is a color that doesn't come easily to stainless steel. I decided to burn holes and back those areas with darker metal to create texture while getting as close to true black as I could. And since that first crab I have redesigned it and have been thrilled to see a lot of interest in this piece from folks with the cancer zodiac sign!

This ornate metal crab sculpture is wall hanging, made entirely of stainless steel, colored using only heat patinas, and is safe to be kept outdoors!