The artists who work hard on creating awe-inspiring pieces for the Spirit of the Land festival are no different.

Lockhart's Spirit of the Land festival pays homage to the determination and strength of those who live and work on the land.

Some artists work full-time on their submissions and others use whatever spare moments they can scrounge, but all weld and create stunning sculptures.

Andrew Whitehead lives on a property just outside Urana and found himself struggling after an 18-year marriage ended.

He met someone new, who suggested he spend some time in the shed creating.

"She probably was trying to get me out of the house," Mr Whitehead joked.

"So I built this odd-looking cow, and I put it down at the mailbox. No one shot at it or ran over it, and I got a few compliments.

"Someone by fortune said 'do you know there is a show over at Lockhart this weekend' just a week after I had built it."

At first, Mr Whitehead felt like he had no place at the Spirit of the Land Festival, thinking it was for "serious artists".

"My partner persisted, and so I built a trailer for it and entered," he said.

"That was around 2007 or 2008, and to my surprise, it won first place.

"I won some cash and got my name in the paper, and I thought 'this is alright I might try for a bit more'."

The win gave Mr Whitehead the boost he needed, and since then he has taken up sculpting full-time.

"Initially I only used found objects, so scraps on the farm but that's become increasingly difficult to find," he said.

"So I have started using forged items, so that means I have found a bloke with a plasma cutter and I asked him to cut some blanks for my design.

"Then I put them in my forge and stamp and flex them to make them unique."

Mr Whitehead said scrap metal art has become increasingly popular across the country with more people creating it, and more people buying it.

So with that, he has found ways to stay ahead of the game.

"I have collaborated with my wife on a couple of works, and we incorporate kiln-fired glass because it stands out," Mr Whitehead said.

"I have had quite a few commissions which force me to do things outside my comfort zone and you are forced to learn new skills.

"The ones I do for myself are often based off pictures that I see, and I want to create them in reality."

A life-size ballerina posing took six months for the pair to complete, the glass alone would have taken two months, Mr Whitehead said.

The ballerina, he added, would be the entry piece this year.

Farmer, artists and event organiser Luke Trevaskis said he had always had a passion for sculpting, ever since Year 12 when he created a piece for his major work of art.

"I thought I might as well enter in the second year, so I went from there," he said.

"I mainly use barbed wire, and I have some old scrap iron from the workshop, and there are plenty of farms around here with old rusty pieces floating around.

"My pieces are realistic, so they are mainly animals."

Mr Trevaskis has one rule when it comes to his artistic endeavours.

"I don't make anything that I would not like to have in my garden, so if it's doesn't sell, we can have it here," he said.

"If I can't make it in three or four days then I won't because I don't have that much time."

Working on a sculpture is a better alternative than sitting in front of the television, Mr Trevaskis said, as it allows him to have a creative outlet.

"I have won the local artist award three or four times," he said.

"I won the creative cocky award, which is for active or retired farmers to get them involved."

Mr Trevaskis said the festival is an excellent day for the whole family.

"Hopefully we get a bit of wet weather beforehand to liven spirits," he said.

Matt Bye is a Wagga-based artist who sells his work out of his store Old N Dazed.

Spirit of the Land was the perfect opportunity for him to showcase the hours of hard work he puts into his pieces.

"The materials I use are mainly constructed out of farm machinery and tools - all recycled bits of steel," Mr Bye said.

"My work is mainly based on native Australian flora and fauna."

Last year, Mr Bye won two awards for his sculptures.

The first was a large vase of Australian flowers, including wattle, gums leaves and banksia, and that saw him awarded the people's choice.

Mr Bye also won the Spirit of the Land award for his sculpture rendition of the Sidney Nolan picture of Ned Kelly.

"The bigger pieces can take more than 100 hours to make," he said.

"I usually start with an idea in my head then I start going out to find the parts and pieces that could be used.

"In this year's competition, I will be entering a few pieces, and one will be a large frill neck lizard that will be three metres tall."

Beginning during the worst drought in the town's recent history, Lockhart's Spirit of the Land festival pays homage to the determination and strength of those who live and work on the land.

All three artists agreed the event provides not only a vital economic boost to the region, but also helps to raise spirits and provide a sense of community.

"We also have a large group of dedicated volunteers who work hard to help make the weekend as successful as possible," Mr Trevaskis said.

The Spirit of the Land Festival will be held on October 12 and 13.

Exhibitions open from 9am until 4pm on Saturday and 9am until 2pm on Sunday.

While the farm art sculptures are incredible in themselves, there is a lot happening throughout the weekend.

With fine art, Indigenous and photography exhibitions, open gardens, boutique market stalls, vintage cars, an incredible wool art gallery and food and wine.

There will also be live music all day, and a fantastic fireworks display on Saturday evening.

Registration is open to all emerging and established artists, who may exhibit in any or all categories.

The major award of the festival is the $10,000 National Farm Art Sculpture Award.

Old tools, car parts and disused farm equipment are just some of the discarded scrap metal used to create these sculptural masterpieces.

Other popular farm art awards include the Creative Cocky, Small Sculpture, Youth and Spirit of the Land Awards.

Entry is $5 and entries close at 5pm on October 10.

Visit www.spiritofthelandlockhart.com.au for more information.