The monthly PNWS studio tour and potluck is with Shelly Durica-Laiche of Indio Metal Arts on Sunday March 24th at 3 p.m. It is open to the public. This Oregon native has been working in metal for over 20 years and running her own business since 2012. Shelly will share how she began her journey as an artist, her process of creating and how a recent experience at Frogwood Collab was a transformative experience.
Shelly received a double major from Portland State University in Sculpture and Graphic Design. “I fell in love with steel when I took my first welding class at PSU. The properties of metal really resonated with me.” In her SE Portland studio she designs and builds both functional and decorative metal sculpture.
“By taking inspiration from the outside world and turning inwards, I synthesize my experiences into three dimensions. I focus on the elegance of form, using a linear and bold graphic aesthetic, to say the most with the least amount of material.”
Salvaged steel is her preferred material for creating her diverse body of work. She also includes non-ferrous metals such as brass, aluminum and copper. She collects it from steelyards, the side of the road, by donation or through her travels.
“I’m inspired by the unique shapes of these found treasures. Scrap metal has an embedded history and character that folds into each design. Sometimes I know right away what I want to build while other times it takes years of contemplation. I’m driven by the design challenge of transforming these recognizable objects into an assemblage with a new voice. I seek for the viewer to be surprised by how a material is used in an unconventional way, far removed from its past life. The process is magic to me.”
You may have seen her work during Portland Open Studios, Modern Home Tour or Association of Landscape Designers Tour. Her work has exhibited publicly at Milwaukie City Hall Sculpture Garden, Oregon Society of Artists and Happy Valley Sculpture Garden. She has a piece in the permanent collection of the Wonder Garden at the Hoffman Center for the Arts. Some of her gallery exhibitions include the Sherwood Center for the Arts and the Alberta Street Gallery. She is currently showing at Dragonfire Gallery, Side Street Arts and the Attic Gallery. She is a current member of the Pacific Northwest Sculptors Group as well as the Creative Metal Arts Guild.
Shelly also teaches art welding and accepts commissions for custom projects.
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Indio Metal Arts Studio Tour: Sunday, March 24th at 3 p.m.
Bring a dish to share, drinks or a desert. Please bring your own plate, cup and silverware.
5040 SE Milwaukie Ave, Portland, OR 97202
INDIO METAL ARTS 