rossritamarie

I always wanted to be an “inventor” as a kid. I loved to make things. In my 20s I learned how to fabricate silver jewelry. It never occurred to me that my love of metal-smithing, macramé knotting and basket weaving would turn into a unique form of metal sculpture. I work mainly with recycled wire to build 3–d sculpture or wall art. An oxy-acetylene torch allows me to anneal wire of various gauges softening it enough to use a combination of weaving techniques to make a metal cloth. With the help of hand tools and imagination, the metal cloth is then brazed or fused to create organic structures and form. Acid patinas and metallic paints color my work.

When the jewelry designs became sculpture ideas everything changed. I still make and teach jewelry and sculpture 40 years later. To be able to take all that influences me and share it in a tangible form, never gets old.

I grew up in Northern OH and moved to Austin, TX in the early 80’s. I have been a partner in several galleries and have coordinated art shows and art programs. Currently I am an instructor at the Creative Side Jewelry Academy of Austin and also teach sculptural wire weaving at Flite Acres Ranch and Foundry in Wimberley TX. My sculptures can be seen in private and corporate settings and in my studio gallery in Austin TX. This work continues to challenge me and makes me happy to wake up every day.