“NSAEN is proud to spotlight the work of Simon Bois, creator of Tattooed Steel, whose raw stainless steel engravings explore trauma, survival, healing, and human resilience.
Simon continues to be supported (since 2008) in his artistic endeavors, as well as his editorials, by www.lawfran.com @Fran Haasch and @Rhett Jones.
Readers wishing to support Simon’s suicide-awareness initiative and Tattooed Steel project through the People’s Artist competition may vote daily here: https://peoplesartist.org/2026/simon-bois-jLiR
The Weight of a Bison
By Florida Night Train – Published by NSAEN
There is a piece hanging in my shop that almost never existed.
Or maybe more accurately… it was never supposed to become what it became.
The Bison started as a commission of gratitude. A tribute to a client relationship that 
stretched nearly twenty years. Since 2006, Bison Transport had trusted me through multiple chapters of my professional life. Through growth. Through chaos. Through impossible deadlines and victories most people in this industry never get to see. In transportation, loyalty at that level is rare. Fleets change vendors constantly. Relationships become transactional. But Bison always carried themselves differently.
So I wanted to create something worthy of that history.
Not with ink.
Not with paint.
Not with software.
With steel.
Fire.
Heat.
Pressure.
Mistakes.
That last part matters.
Because this piece was born from one.
At one stage of fabrication, I realized I had pushed part of the design too far. The heat moved differently than expected. The reflection shifted. The texture wasn’t behaving the way I had envisioned in my head. For a moment, I genuinely believed I had ruined the entire composition.
And that is where this piece became something else entirely. Instead of scrapping it, I leaned into the failure.
I started building around the distortion instead of fighting it. I let the steel speak back. I adjusted the burn patterns. Reworked the texture lines. Changed the flow of the composition. The very flaw I thought destroyed the piece became the element that gave it life.
That lesson stayed with me. A lot of us spend our lives trying to erase scars. Steel taught me differently. Sometimes the scar is the art.
The piece itself measures 36 x 46 inches and was fabricated entirely through layered grinding, polishing, texturing, and heat coloration on stainless steel. The colors are not paint. They are created purely through controlled heat applied with a torch. Distance of flame. Exposure time. Temperature. Timing. Movement. Every fraction matters.
Steel reacts almost like memory. Too cold and nothing happens. Too hot and you destroy the surface. But somewhere in between… color appears.
Gold.
Blue.
Purple.
Bronze.
Alive for only moments before shifting again under different light. That’s what makes this
piece unique. Depending on the viewing angle, the Bison changes personality entirely. In one light it looks cold and industrial. In another, it feels almost alive …… like it’s emerging from fire or disappearing into shadow. Some people see strength in it. Others see exhaustion. Some see survival.
My son Eric loves this one the most. Maybe because he watched parts of it come to life inside the shop. Maybe because he understands, without needing words, that this piece carries more than an animal. It carries history. Pressure. Pride. Disappointment. Loyalty. Transformation.
At one point, Bison Transport CEO Rob Penner and I discussed possibly adding the piece to their art collection. The conversation eventually faded as business realities changed and operational struggles unfolded around us. Truthfully, I’m okay with that now.
Because somewhere along the way, this piece stopped belonging to business. It became personal. It reminds me that even when things fracture… even when trust changes… even when seasons end… there is still meaning in what was built. That matters. Especially today, in a world obsessed with disposable things and disposable people.
The Bison remains in my shop now. Silent. Heavy. Scarred by fire.
And somehow stronger because of it.
If this story or this piece speaks to you, I would be honored to have your support.
You can vote daily for my work and help support the broader message behind Tattooed Steel and suicide awareness here: https://peoplesartist.org/2026/simon-bois-jLiR
Tattooed Steel: www.facebook.com/tattooedsteelllc
Night Train: www.facebook.com/floridanighttrain
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