In the 70's I arrived in Mendocino in a converted school bus and soon took up the building trades to support my family and dream of becoming a metal sculptor. It was a pretty heady time back then: land was cheap and building and designing your own home was possible even for those who didn’t have a lot of savings.

Throughout the years I have worked in bronze, stainless steel, painted steel , Cor-Ten steel, copper, aluminum, and leather. Now, I am exploring light as a medium, working with fiber optics, laser and incandescent lighting sources to make light part of the sculpture, rather than just an illuminating agent.

For the last three years, I have taught welding and metal sculpture both through the Mendocino Art Center and independently at my Little River studio. When I teach, I try to emphasis safe welding skills as much as the nuts and bolts of getting metal to bend to our wills, or our gentle persuasions.

One of my most popular classes is the "Found Object Metal Sculpture" class where we turn mundane objects into sculpture. In the "Welding for Women" class, a "testosterone-free" environment enables women to learn welding skills and make art in comfort and safety, even if they have never handled power tools before.

I’ve tried to make my studio, home and grounds a majestic setting beneath the soaring redwood canopy. In the Shubui Sculpture Garden you can wonder among waterfalls and fern canyons and hopefully enjoy some of my more recent works. If you’re curious, you can see that old school bus I used to live in.

ryaski@juno.com
www.yaski.com