Karl Stirner is a towering presence.

Not as towering as his sculpture.

But a towering presence, nonetheless.

Getting Stirner's large, heavy sculpture into the Payne Gallery, Moravian Campus, Main and Church streets, Bethlehem, for the exhibition, "Transformations: Works in Steel," continuing through April 7, was no easy task.

Fortunately, for David Leidich, Payne assistant gallery director and Stirner exhibit curator, he had the assistance of Quakertown-area sculptor Steve Tobin, whose own work is often monumental and whose crew installed Stirner's sculpture in the Payne.

"They had a big electro-magnet. So, they really knew what they were doing," marvels Leidich during the opening reception for Stirner's exhibit of five drawings and nine pieces of sculpture, many weighing from 500 to 1,000 pounds and one 12-foot-tall.

Leidich edited "Karl Stirner," a 196-page catalogue of Stirner's work, derived from discarded metal, whether from shipwrecks, Bethlehem Steel or street corners.

Stirner takes hard, unbendable steel and transforms it into organic shapes that seem to spring forth from nature.

"Transformations II," an exhibition of smaller Stirner works, continues through June 16, James A. Michener Art Museum, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown.

Stirner, 89, and his sculpture are not only physically-imposing. Stirner looms large on the Lehigh Valley arts scene, especially in Easton where in 1983 he took a dilapidated downtown factory building, itself a transformation into metal-works and welding shop, gallery, residence and rentals.

The Karl Stirner Arts Trail, a 2.5-mile path connects the downtown to the former Simon Silk Mill, a Banana Factory-style artists' studio and gallery project.

Stirner lived at the Ferry Street building with his wife, Northampton County District Judge Gay Elwell, who died in December 2012.

If Stirner was a man of even fewer words than normal for a scheduled talk at the Feb. 21 opening reception, it's understandable.

"Some of this is pretty crazy and wild stuff," Stirner said to an estimated 100 jammed into the gallery.

Choking back emotion, Stirner stopped abruptly, saying simply, "I just lost a wife."

Still, Stirner stands tall, his stance as solid and his demeanor as smooth as the polished patina of his sculpture.

Payne Gallery hours: moravian.edu, 610-861-1667