Francis Metal Works

Inspired by the world’s greatest water bird sanctuaries, these majestic sculptures, handcrafted from iron and Minnesota fieldstone offer timeless reflection of nature’s finest works, adding a touch of serenity to any environment. 

Each spring, Minnesota farmers discover the earth has once again given birth to stones of every imaginable shape and size. Which appear to have magically popped to the surface of the farmer’s field, hence they are called fieldstone. This phenomenon is due to the cyclical freezing and thawing of the ground. Often they appear as if giant birds have laid eggs all over the ground. At Francis Metal Works, we select the finest of these fieldstones from the farms that grow them and add our unique copyrighted iron work to create one of kind sculptures that will adorn that special place for generations.

Charles Adams and Thomas Widhalm created these wonderful sculptures by marrying their passion for gardening with Chuck’s 40-year background as a jeweler and Tom’s 33 years as a creative metal worker. 

Chuck found working in his garden not only to be peaceful, but another way to express creativity. He designed his garden using 54 tons of boulders, and planting 1,800 perennials over 1 ½ acres of mostly shade gardens. After searching for artwork to compliment his garden, and finding nothing that seemed unique or natural, he decided to make his own. He collaborated with his long-time friend and fellow gardener, Tom Widhalm. Together over a period of almost a year, they designed their unique one-of-a kind iron and stone sculptures. They have been adding designs ever since. Their sculptures are crafted from iron and hand-selected Minnesota fieldstone chosen for character & shape. Their water birds offer a timeless reflection of nature’s finest works, adding a touch of serenity to any environment.