Fairfield Man Is Turning Old License Plates Into Works Of Art

FAIRFIELD, CT — He didn’t set out to be an artist, but Fairfield resident Stephen Goldstein always had a bent towards bringing materials back to life in different guises.

“I used to collect things and try to build things out of garbage — mostly non-functioning milk carton robots,” said Goldstein, who grew up in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey.

Now he is repurposing old license plates to create portrait sculptures — both of famous people and individuals in the area who have commissioned his work.

He has completed more than 60 pieces over the past 17 years, with more on tap.

“The level of detail he’s able to capture is remarkable, given that he’s creating art out of old license plates,” said customer Nicole Gerber of Westport.

While his day job is working for a cyber-security company, Goldstein, who has a degree in electronics technology, discovered a calling with his unique work.

Goldstein was at a store near Union Square in Manhattan around 2004 when he came across a well-known work by Aaron Foster that featured a map of the United States, but with the respective license plates used for each state.

“I love that piece, but I thought, ‘I could make it myself,’” he remembered.

He ended up searching out all the necessary license plates on eBay, and, after mounting the work on a reclaimed piece of wood from an old barn, completed the project.

After his two children were born and the family moved to Connecticut, Goldstein got the idea of trying to do portraits of each — first his son, Lucas, then his daughter, Bella.

“It was a lot of trial and error,” he said, but eventually he developed a technique for layering the metal in such a way to gain the best effect.

After word got out about Goldstein's art and people saw his unique talent, parents began to commission him to do portraits of their children, with Goldstein completing around 25 over the next few years.

He also started doing iconic pieces of musicians and other celebrities — some of which show in galleries, including the new Eco Evolution store in South Norwalk, a sustainable marketplace operated by Fairfielder Brad Kerner, aka The Eco Dude.

“As the owner of a low-waste shop and artisan cooperative, I love having Stephen’s art in my store,” he said, noting he’s both a creator working in a low-waste medium and a gifted local artist.

“And honestly, his art is so dope,” Kerner said. “It looks amazing in my store. I can’t get over how talented he is.”

Goldstein notes that the medium itself is unique and exciting from his perspective, as the plates themselves represent history, as well as a connection to their subjects.

He shared about a portrait he did of musician Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam fame, how he utilized 1964 plates from Illinois, where and when Vedder was born, as well as others from significant locations.

“There’s a lot of history in them,” he said of his materials.

Goldstein, who generally works off of photos, said once he gets started on a piece he becomes obsessed with it, and takes days and weeks to craft and carefully assemble more than 100 separate pieces for a portrait.

“Repurposing old license plates is a brilliant idea,” Gerber said, “and lends a piece of character and meaning that new doesn’t often achieve.”