I’m taking a welding class Friday nights at the local community college. We’ve met 3 times; once to get the supply list (I now own an auto-darkening helmet, leather jacket, and red wing boots) and twice to really weld. I’ve learned to cut metal with an oxy-acetylene torch– very fun! Lots of sparks, flames, heat! The course covers basic stick welding and so far I’m learning to make regular, uniform welding beads on a plate– no fancy welding together of disparate plates, yet :) After 4 hours of class, I come home tired, dirty, smelly.
I’m not sure how the metal fits in my art. For now, I’m enjoying working with it and trying to be more open (in many ways) to letting the process lead me rather than have strict ideas about my path.
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I would love welding…I use a torch in my ceramic work, and I always get a little thrill turning the flame on.
Good for you !! – I think it is important for artists working in any medium to reach outside the comfort zone every now and the and learn how different materials handle, without necessarily initially having the need to learn because you want to incorporate it in your art – just purely for the thrill of discovery. In some way it might(or might not) influence what you are doing or how you approach it from now on. I think no learning/education is ever wasted and it is amazing how things pop up into the mind, mine anyway, from goodness knows when, way back.