MAKER: Elizabeth Meadows, of Huron
BUSINESS: Mother, Metal Sculptor
RAW MATERIALS: 鈥淚 really like having pieces that I feel like I can do something with. Sometimes I find these pieces in scrap yards, sometimes I find them by the side of the road. They鈥檙e rusted and old and somebody threw them out. That鈥檚 what a lot of my pieces are --- they鈥檙e leftover pieces that don鈥檛 have a necessary use.鈥�
DO IT YOURSELF: 鈥淚 wanted to be able to do all the steps in my own work. I really didn鈥檛 want to have to hire a welder to come in and do the work for me, so that I could be the artist who comes in, gives directions and has everybody else do the work. I like physically welding, I like getting dirty, and having sparks flying in your face.鈥�
WHY METAL FLOWERS? 鈥�I want to see if I can make a certain shape. I want to see if the metal can feel similar to how I think the petal would look. I just want to have flowers the whole year around, and, since we鈥檙e in Ohio, slim chance of that.鈥�
SCARCITY OF WOMEN: 鈥�You know, working in metal, I鈥檓 always the only female. I鈥檓 tough. I bond with guys. I have two older brothers and I have three sons, so I hang out with guys a lot. As time progresses, you would think that more women were working in fields that have been traditionally male dominated, and it鈥檚 still not really happening. I鈥檓 the only female I see walking into a welding supply store.鈥�
GETTING BY: 鈥�If I did a number of shows every year, and I created enough work and had consignment galleries that I worked in, I could make a very tidy living, just not very good. I鈥檝e tried working in the corporate world and it鈥檚 not for me. I鈥檇 much rather do this and raise my kids. Right now, I鈥檓 spending more time raising kids than making a profit making flowers.鈥�
