I am Heather McLarty and I'm an artist blacksmith.
It is my joy as well as my job to transform industrial materials into soulful sculpture using fire, anvil and hammers, mind, body and heart. By hot forging, chasing and repoussé, welding and fabrication, whatever tool or technique I can think of, I transform steel, copper, bronze and aluminum into tactile, organic sculpture. Every project is a new adventure.
My college training was as a theater technician, where I learned to make almost anything you can think of, from almost anything you can think of. I worked in prop shops from Arizona to Alaska and often was the only person who knew how to weld, which I really enjoyed.
But the steel seduced me. I wanted to know more, do more, create more than the quick and dirty, temporary world of theater would allow. I was steadily pulled back in time and back in technology into the hot, dirty, primitive, ancient, exquisite world of the blacksmith.
With the help of many generous men and women who are preserving the great craft of blacksmithing, I have spent the last 20 plus years establishing myself as a well-known artist and craftsperson. My work has been selected for public parks and national art exhibitions and my gates, railings and other architectural pieces adorn many fine homes.
I have found a special affinity for sheet work, particularly repoussé and high relief chasing. After winning a Bedayn grant in 2005 I spent several transformational weeks in the Czech Republic and studied Louis XVI ornament and tooling with the master smith Alfred Habermann. I feel it is important to continue to improve my skills and pass them on to others.
My studio is located in a large Sioux style tipi at my home in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles, California. I share the rest of the place with my husband Troy, two dogs, two cats, and lots of stuff.
It is my joy as well as my job to transform industrial materials into soulful sculpture using fire, anvil and hammers, mind, body and heart. By hot forging, chasing and repoussé, welding and fabrication, whatever tool or technique I can think of, I transform steel, copper, bronze and aluminum into tactile, organic sculpture. Every project is a new adventure.
My college training was as a theater technician, where I learned to make almost anything you can think of, from almost anything you can think of. I worked in prop shops from Arizona to Alaska and often was the only person who knew how to weld, which I really enjoyed.
But the steel seduced me. I wanted to know more, do more, create more than the quick and dirty, temporary world of theater would allow. I was steadily pulled back in time and back in technology into the hot, dirty, primitive, ancient, exquisite world of the blacksmith.
With the help of many generous men and women who are preserving the great craft of blacksmithing, I have spent the last 20 plus years establishing myself as a well-known artist and craftsperson. My work has been selected for public parks and national art exhibitions and my gates, railings and other architectural pieces adorn many fine homes.
I have found a special affinity for sheet work, particularly repoussé and high relief chasing. After winning a Bedayn grant in 2005 I spent several transformational weeks in the Czech Republic and studied Louis XVI ornament and tooling with the master smith Alfred Habermann. I feel it is important to continue to improve my skills and pass them on to others.
My studio is located in a large Sioux style tipi at my home in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles, California. I share the rest of the place with my husband Troy, two dogs, two cats, and lots of stuff.
Here is a video my friend Stella Kalinina made about me and my work. You can see more of her work here: http://www.stellakalinina.com
Proudly powered by Weebly