Lately, I’ve been reminiscing about my life as an author and a 30-year professional artist. I’ve maintained several different blogs for the past twenty years. As I mentally prepare to start writing a book about my life as a mixed media sculptor, I’m reviewing some of those old blogposts. This one is a throwback to 2012, after I retired from 36 years working for the State of California as a researcher, analyst, and human resources specialist. I was learning how to use my new MIG welder to weld garden art from recycled metal, as commissioned by the Doiron and Blue Moon Galleries in Sacramento, CA. This blogpost entry, as well as another one posted in this website on April 23, 2023, describes how I learned metalworking from fellow artist, Kristin Hoard, then added my Afrocentric viewpoint to the skills she so kindly taught me. Hope these hints and tips enlighten and encourage you to pursue your own artistic leanings
MY FIRST GOAL today [2012] was to make some recycled metal garden stakes with big flower-like heads. I took two 4-foot by 4-inch, 18-gauge recycled metal strips. I used a pencil to mark them with triangular shapes, then used the cutting bit on one of my grinders to cut them up into about 100 triangles. They would become petals for the flower heads (see left “flower” in the following image).
Because the edges were jagged, I used my bench grinder to smooth off the edges of half of the triangle pieces—that process took a long time – arrgghhh! The next step was to lay out the triangle pieces in the side yard and see if the torch would bring out some colors. It took a lot of heating, but the blues and rust colors started to show. Awesome!
Then I set out some circular recycled steel pieces on my garage floor, laid on the colored petals and welded the petals to both sides of the circle. Loving this!
I added many more tack welds for stamens and other decorator bits. Loving this!
I bent re-bar into interesting shapes for the stalk and welded a couple of “leg” to the lower part to allow the garden stake to be inserted into the ground. Viola! I completed the first flower (except that I’ll probably have it powder-coated to protect it from the outside elements), then many more.
Even though it was 6 PM by then, I wanted to make another flower before cleaning up the studio and finishing for the week. This one had a smaller head so I could use thinner metal rods instead of re-bar. So much easier and lighter weight. Loving it!
MY SECOND GOAL was to clean up both the metal and clay studios before taking my shower and eating dinner. I almost succeeded in cleaning the clay studio and was 100% successful with the metal shop. Then shower, dinner, ibuprofen and ice pack for my aching shoulder.
If today is a portend to what retirement will be like, I AM READY TO TAKE THE RETIREMENT CHALLENGE! I absolutely loved every minute of this beautiful day.
