By Kim Hilsenbeck

Standing alongside a giant metal spade he created, Chris Anderson looks rather small. Up close, however, he’s an imposing figure. Yet his easy smile and laid-back attitude make him seem more like a gentle giant.

The spade, Anderson’s latest work of art, may earn him and the firm that hired him an entry in the “Guinness Book of World Records.” It stands more than 40 feet tall and weighs 5,000 pounds.

Anderson is the artist in residence at Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) in Creedmoor, one of the Central Texas region’s top waste disposal companies. The firm services customers around the Central Texas area and the Hill Country.

But why do they have an artist?

TDS is known for its innovative waste management philosophies and conservation techniques, including reusing scrap metal and other materials that come into the landfill. Or rather, are diverted before they end up there.

Anderson uprooted his life in Washington state to move here. He and his wife settled in Buda. Now that he’s here, his job is creating larger than life works of art made from what would have been garbage had Anderson not gotten his hands on it.

Why a spade?

It’s a competition, of course. The Guinness book’s current largest spade, at 14-feet tall, looks like child’s play compared to the mammoth spade inside the metal building Anderson calls his office. The spade took Anderson and his small crew of one about five months to build. He also had to construct an original contraption to hold the spade. He created a system with hydraulics that will allow the spade to be raised, lowered and transported via truck without having to apply for a permit for an oversized vehicle. Anderson took many different factors into account when building the system.

In between making large art projects for display at TDS, Anderson is the mastermind of the company’s Gardenville line of scrap metal art called Restore Décor. Gardenville is TDS’ garden center where they sell everything from soil and compost to pottery and lawn art, including 10-ft tall sunflowers.

Scattered throughout the workshop are Anderson’s many other creations — his signature bears, sundials for the Restore Décor line and the beginnings of a baby elephant grace the workshop. Over in a corner are what look like flower petals. They’re actually vinyl records that he melted.

How did he think to make flower petals?

“I don’t know I just thought I’d melt them and see what happened,” he said.

Anderson is clearly humble about his talent, yet excited to show each piece and share its story.

Outside the building, waiting for a permanent home, is a giant lion, also made of scrap metal, much it from old TDS metal garbage containers. By his estimate, that project took him the better part of 10 months.

The tail moves, the mane and body look realistic and even the legs are eerily big and catlike.

Standing next to the lion at 5’8”, it dwarfs this visitor by at least 15 feet.

Anderson said the lion was about a 10-month long project that required several thousand pounds of metal. Up close, each of Anderson’s creations contains detail so exacting, you’d swear it was real. Except the edges are sharp.

Other sculptures include an eagle in its nest and three bear cubs — all gracing the lawn outside the main administration office of TDS. Those sculptures are also Anderson’s creations.

From where does he gain inspiration?

He’s not even sure he knows. Sometimes it’s a request from a customer. One of his first creations was a steel buffalo head he welded onto a security fence for a client.

“It was the first art piece I’d ever built,” Anderson said.

What was his client’s reaction?

“He was amazed. He didn’t really know what it was going to be,” he said.

After that he kept going with the metal art, doing small pieces and selling them at various shows.

His first big metal art project was a roughly six-foot tall bear with a fish in its mouth. Anderson has a photo of that in his shop office, along with 20 other photos of his work.

An art piece that size would cost a buyer about $20,000. Based on the hours and detail required, one can hardly say it’s not worth the price.