

Here’s another great project from the Make: archives.
According to Karina Olsen, the biggest mistake you can make in welding class is telling your instructor that youโre finished early. โOnce the instructor knows that you need more work, they will find random, ungraded projects for you to do until your classmates catch up with you!โ
When Olsen learned this lesson, she didnโt consider herself a sculptor yet; however that would change as she snuck in time for experimentation. She picked up some random bits of steel at a thrift shop, typically silverware, and simply tried various ideas. It was in this way that Olsenโs first sculpture was created โin secretโ while she was a student in a welding class.
This first success sparked her interest in creating metal sculptures, so she scoured Milwaukeeโs thrift stores for utensils. Friends and family also began donating unwanted wares, allowing her to amass a library of material from which to draw inspiration.
Olsenโs creations, typically animals or insects, are gorgeous feats of layered and flowing lines. The structures of the creatures themselves seem to have an intrinsic flow and she carefully uses the silverwareโs flourishes and scrollwork to add visual intensity to the designs.
โPeople donโt always notice how beautiful their flatware is until itโs transformed into something else,โ Olsen says, โand Iโm always happy to help them notice by drawing attention to it in my work.โ
See more on Karina’s Instragram
This article appeared in Make: Vol. 71.
ADVERTISEMENT