Kelly R Ludeking
KRL METALS ART STUDIO FOUNDER, EDUCATOR & ARTIST
Did you know my middle initial, the meat in the sandwich of KRL, stands for Renaissance? It doesn’t, actually, but it might as well. This one word best sums up my approach to life as a sculptor, fabricator & metal arts instructor. I reimagine the use of materials in order to realize solutions to challenging goals or problems. I renew interest in metal both as an industrial staple that shapes the world around us as well as its artistic influence, reshaping the world within us. I reignite the spark of creativity, curiosity & ingenuity in my students, expanding their horizons to new possibilities within metal arts & industry.
Growing up on a midwestern dairy & hog farm created a very real need to invent & reinvent tools and repair machinery in order to keep our livelihood moving in the right direction. I spent so much time with animals & machinery that I began to see one in the other: a tractor seat becomes a face for a gargoyle sculpture; a fuel tank becomes the body for a life-sized elephant sculpture; a garbage shoot becomes the body for a bull dog sculpture.
These early years influenced me deeply. College introduced me to the possibility of becoming an artist. I never thought of myself as artistic because I couldn’t draw, paint or throw a pot. I was a musical artist as a drummer, but a visual artist seemed so far fetched until I embraced 3D arts, specifically metal. Subsequent decades in the prop industry and a variety of other odd jobs continued to influence my ever-growing library of skills. Years of training others in these various industry roles naturally lead to a desire to share my library of experience with others.
My mission is to share welded, melted & shaped metals with people like you! You wouldn’t still be here if you didn’t have a curiosity about foundry, blacksmithing, welding or maybe all three! I’m here to connect you with the experiences that will give you confidence in areas that have been calling to you.
