Inspired by Heavy Metal

A friend recently asked me what inspired me to work with metal? I’m kind of a girly girl and not one to get my hands dirty, so I can see why she asked. Because metal is dirty, and grimy and gritty. So I had to think about why I was drawn to it – because I have always been a beader and a crafter, but why metal?

I guess my interest in metal is intertwined with my interest in my husband, Kyle. He is a sculptor who creates large scale, immense, heavy metal sculptures and over the years I have seen him work with all kinds of metal – pouring iron and bronze and fabricating steel. I had been to countless iron pours and sat while he grinded or welded pieces. I’ve marveled at how his simple, small sketches become these looming, exquisite sculptures.

In theory I knew about welding and casting and how to rust or patina metal, but I never thought of it as a medium that I could work in. That is, until one day I picked up some copper wire we had laying around and I got our utility hammer and just started whacking at it and shaping it. Then, as it flattened and crumpled and dimpled, my wheels started turning.

Before I even took my first class, I started sketching. And my sketches were very much inspired by the shapes and the simplicity of Kyle’s work. Arches and negative space. Orbs and extensions. Rusty, patinaed, earthy textures. Tension and suspension. Of course, as a still developing artist, some of these sketches remain on paper, but some I have been able to bring to life.

Essentially, in Kyle’s artist statement he talks of how God’s creation inspires him, and I think it is those same elements of nature and earth that inspire me as well. I interpret it a bit differently, but I guess both of us are ultimately inspired by our Creator and his handiwork. And I am thankful for the opportunity to express that every day!

Filed under Inspirations & Musings | Tags: copper, iron, iron pour, kyle van lusk, sculpture, steel | Comment (0)