Sam Mirelez

Mr. Mirelez, of San Antonio, Texas, made birdhouses and models out of scrap metal. He got aluminum siding scraps (which won't rust) from a contractor, then used history books, magazines, postcards-- any pictorial source--to find structures of which he makes birdhouse copies. Although Mr. Mirelez experimented with paint, he left most of his constructions the original color of the siding, white being by far the most common color.

Once finished, Mr. Mirelez mounted them atop metal poles, screwed them onto the flat portions of his roof, hung them from tree limbs, from the eaves of his house, or sets them on legs around his yard and gardens.

Sam passed away in 2008.