Michael Leaf’s Linkedin profile lists his primary skill as his ability to think outside the box.

He certainly does that in his latest work of art – a 3-D life-size rendition of the “Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci created out of steel.

The bus-sized artwork is not for small thinkers or for anyone lacking wall space. It measures 29 feet-1 inch wide and 15 feet high, taller than most folks’ ceilings. Those are the dimensions of the historic painting.

It’s currently mounted in his studio in a metal recycling yard at 2585 Main St. in Chula Vista, but plans are afoot to find the artwork a fitting home with public access.

Stephanie, Canon and Michael Leaf sitting in metal chairs designed by Michael.

(Courtesy photo)

Leaf, 38, is no stranger to challenges. He has 22 broken bones to show for his years of extreme sports. In his youth, he was a competitive rollerblader but since has turned to mountain biking and cycling.

His paternal grandparents started a metal recycling business in Chula Vista, working with local aircraft and manufacturing firms. His grandfather created what Guinness World Records once recognized as the tallest metal flagpole (191.5 feet), a record since eclipsed. The pole still stands at the family business now run by Leaf’s parents and older brother.

Leaf, however, had other ideas. He was studying to be a yoga instructor when, 14 years ago, his career turned on a dream. In it, a hand cut out of metal was stretched out, directing his gaze toward outer space.

When Leaf awoke, he knew he had to re-create that image. So, that’s what he did — out of a piece of metal at his family’s steel yard.

From that point on, he knew he would make metal art for the rest of his life.

The Hilltop High grad is a self-taught artist. Surprisingly, his first commission was a friend’s request to create a small metal depiction of the “Last Supper” scene.

He since has created numerous artworks for private residents and corporate clients. He says 26 of his metal sculptures were purchased by Kilroy Realty Corp. in San Diego.

The Port of San Diego commissioned a piece for the J Street Marina Bayside Park using parts of the dismantled power plant that had energized the area for decades. His artwork includes a 28-foot-tall metal sculpture, a bench made from a turbine and a spinning easel.

Linda Sakane, of Chula Vista, is a longtime collector of Leaf’s metal work, which she first saw at an art show at the San Diego Convention Center. “He is so incredible, not only as an artist, but as a person,” she says. “He’s got a brain that doesn’t stop. … The mathematics that went into what he’s done is unbelievable. His mind doesn’t work like the mind of anyone else I have ever met.

“To truly understand his art,” she adds, “you have to get in front of it and stare at it for a while.”

Two years ago, Leaf got a second commission to create his interpretation of the “Last Supper,” unrelated to his earlier piece. It was a friend’s housewarming gift to his parents.

Leaf visited the La Mesa home where Joseph Salem’s mom handed him a picture of da Vinci’s “Last Supper” and asked him to make a bigger version for her dining room wall. A few months later, the 5-foot-wide piece was installed.

“It’s incredible,” Salem says. “It gives off an energy. It takes over the room. I’ve never felt that way about art.” He says his mother broke into tears when she saw it and Leaf explained the meaning.

“While working on this piece,” Leaf says, “I kept having different ideas for ways to create this iconic scene. These ideas led to the decision … to create a series.”

It wasn’t until he was well into the series that he looked up the dimensions of the original painting and resolved to replicate its size.

The current life-size piece is his sixth in the series. The seventh will be a crown of thorns chandelier.

This is an interesting topic for someone who is not Catholic and doesn’t attend church. While Leaf isn’t religious, he calls himself hyper-spiritual and finds life and beauty everywhere. The current piece was finished 14 months later, on Feb. 22. It was Ash Wednesday.

He avoided reflecting on the symbolism depicted in da Vinci’s original masterpiece, opting instead for his own expression.

Rather than plates of food on the table, he placed an apple by Jesus, signifying the Garden of Eden, and an apple core in front of Judas. Jesus sports a halo and a beard, and his eyes are closed, in contrast to the open eyes of the disciples.

A diamond in the middle of Jesus’ forehead, signifies his “third eye” and the mathematical center of the artwork.

“I did not know until I completed it how truly submersed I’d become,” Leaf says. “For four days afterward I felt like I was floating. It was the first time in 14 months I could stand back and look at it. Before I was inside the art looking forward.”

His most challenging task was figuring out a way to attach the 63 pieces that make up the setting and add depth.

Much of Leaf’s inspiration comes through his dreams. He sleeps with paper and two pens (he’s ambidextrous) so he can write ideas at night in a semi-conscious state.

Leaf first envisioned the face of his wife-to-be in a dream. A few hours after waking he spied that same face on a dating website. On his second date, he asked her if she would be willing to get married in a steel yard.

Stephanie Leaf didn’t mind, but it was two years before they recited their vows at the family’s recycling and shelving fabrication site, Leaf Sales.

Michael Leaf’s son, Canon, shown at age 5, sold his own artwork at a stand and donated part of the money to animal charities.

(Michael Leaf)

Now they have a son, Canon Michael Leaf, 6, who sells his art at a stand like most kids sell lemonade.

While discussions with potential buyers are under way to find a home for this gigantic new artwork, Leaf has made a limited edition of 50 smaller high-resolution photographs of it printed on steel and framed, which he is selling for $1,000 each.

For Christians, today, the Thursday before Easter, is Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, and is commemorated as the day of the Last Supper.

I asked the artist if he has ever viewed da Vinci’s “Last Supper,” which hangs in a convent in Milan.

“No,” he responds. “It’s on my bucket list to get over there.”