Craftsman Nelson creates a steel coronavirus

FALLBROOK – Steve Nelson, a longtime Fallbrook resident and master craftsman and metalsmith, sculpted his own interpretation of COVID-19 made of stainless steel and illuminated within to show the intricate design of little perforations through the metal. It was cut, soldered, welded, pounded, buffed and details put on with a plasma cutter.

"Steve is a self-taught sculptor and painter who has done works for many happy clients, but has never had a public exhibition of his work," Jack Ragland, a fellow artist and close friend of Nelson, said.

Nelson's past works include designing a 9-foot-long st...