Our dear friend, and very talented sculpture artist Shira Loa is having her debut show tonight October 8th at the Dialect Gallery in Downtown Los Angeles. The show runs for the entire month of October until November 5th including Downtown Art Walk.
We highly recommend you check out “Tangible Growth in Metal Sculpture” opening tonight. The address is 215 W. 6th Street, Suite 111, Los Angeles. You can get more details on the event page below.
“In an age of machines, “raising” metal is a technique of the past. For centuries, craftsman used the technique to create vessels and utensils, heating non-ferrous (brass, bronze, copper, silver) sheet metal until malleable and then cooling it to use hammers and stakes to stretch, bend and compress the metal into complex and hollow forms. After studying with a master of the technique for two years, I continued on my own for the following six, using raising to create organic sculptural forms that reference roots, plants, cocoons and chrysalises. I’ve so love exploring how an innately hard and tough material like metal can be made to look soft, alive, kaleidoscopic.” – Shira Loa
Opening Reception~ October 8th~ 7-11pm
Downtown Art Walk~ October 13th~ 5-11pm
Closing Reception~ November 5th~ 7-11pm
Check out our interview with Shira, along with some pictures of her recent work below.
How did you get into metalworking?
I discovered my love for metalworking during my last year of a BFA program at the University of Michigan. I spent the following 5 years trying to teach myself, while avidly seeking out metalworkers across the continent whose work I admired in order to learn from them. I believe my tenacity and eagerness swayed even those who weren’t interested in an apprentice; I ended up with the most incredibly colorful and multifaceted education, full of completely different techniques, perspectives and sensibilities towards art and the process of making it.
How long have you been doing it?
I have been metalworking for 12 years and I still learn something every time I work. I am constantly challenged to gain more skill and knowledge of the craft, yet there is something primal and almost magical for me in the material, the movement of it’s molecules, and in the use of raw elements to work with it that hits me in a place beyond thought. The inspiration and possibilities are endless.
What is your main inspiration?
All of my artwork is dedicated to creating a visual language out of my reverence for growth, change, the wisdom of Nature’s structures and forms… and the energy that flows in between. I write into every molecule of my artwork a translation of joy that the natural world continuously inspires within me.
How long does an average sized piece take to create?
There is no “average” sized piece for me, and there is no average time that it takes to complete a piece. The scope of my work ranges from pieces that 3 people can climb inside to pieces that you can hold in the palm of your hand. Metalwork, and specifically the techniques I use, is in and of itself an extremely time intensive process.
How big was the largest piece you ever created?
The largest piece I’ve made was a permanent public sculpture that resides in San Mateo, CA. Made of steel, brass and copper, the piece has 15 individual metal “mushrooms” and “flowers”, each standing from 3’-7’ tall.
What metals do you work with and where do you source them from?
Since moving to Los Angeles I have sourced much of my materials from Industrial Metal Supply in Burbank. I sculpt using primarily brass, bronze, copper and steel. Steel has completely different properties than non-ferrous metals like brass and copper, so the techniques, tools and styles differ dramatically for working them. Until the last two years, I kept them separate in my artwork. It has been a wonderful challenge to bring these disparate styles and materials all together, especially for this most recent series. Realizing the vision for this show was quite an undertaking; it was a fantastic learning process, and very artistically liberating.
What advice can you offer people looking to get into metal sculpting?
Metalworking is an incredible craft, especially because there are so many different ways to work with it, and each method takes years of dedication to develop skill in. I’ve studied welding, goldsmithing, silversmithing, raising and casting. Each one is a world in and of itself. My advice to anyone interested in metalworking is to look at a lot of different work, find things they are drawn to the most, and pick a direction to explore for a while. You can find a school that gives you a range of those techniques, which I did to start, but the best education I got was from finding masters of different techniques and studying one on one with them.
I am now a teacher myself, and I always have an initial consultation with my students to find out what they want to get out of metalworking so we can focus down a path that is appropriate. However, limiting oneself to only learning what one wants to learn is dangerous. Decide on your goals, get clear on your visions, but don’t skip the basics- you’ll regret it later. The biggest lesson in metalworking is PATIENCE, and the next is dedication. After that it’s about being willing to accept that you will always and constantly be learning.
Tell us about the series featured in the new show.
The series of sculptures I worked on for the show at Dialect gallery are, with 2 exceptions, wall hanging pieces framed by steel “shadowboxes” ranging from 12”x19” to just under 3’ square. Each “shadowbox” holds within it 2-25 hammered metal elements that are from 4” to 1.5’. Each of the shadowboxes took from 2-5 days to build and complete, and every hammered element within them took me from 5 hours to 5 weeks to make. The process of putting them all together at the end was anything from 3 hours to 3 days.
What do you think of Shira Loa’s work? Tell us in the comments below!
We hope to see you at her opening! If you can’t make it tonight, the show runs for an entire month. Get details here.
