Looking for a new challenge, Heather Lawrie-Morse also known as ‘Heavy Metal Heather’ traded in her paint brushes and canvas for metal-working tools.
“I first got into working with metal when my son had a project to do for school. We were working on the melting points of metal because my husband owned a machine shop. He taught us how to weld and how to use a plasma cutter. We made some ornaments and that was very exciting for both of us, and I wanted to do more,” says Morse.
After giving out some of her pieces as gifts, Morse says people started coming and asking her to make things.
“My friend wanted a flower, I gave them as gifts and then more people starting coming and asking for things.”
A piece of art made by Heather Lawrie-Morse. (Courtesy: Heather Lawrie-Morse)“I really like to make things I’ve seen in nature, often I will just see a piece and say what can I make with that? That’s where the folk art stuff comes from.”
Morse says metal-working is very physically demanding to do, but very rewarding in the end.
“Working with metal has been a challenge, it’s very physically demanding, you got to have the full outfit on so you don’t get burned or cut. It’s quite a challenge to work with metal, but extremely rewarding.”
A piece of art made by Heather Lawrie-Morse. (Courtesy: Heather Lawrie-Morse)To make her pieces, Morse says she tries to use as much recycled materials as she can.
“I get a lot of my materials from estate sales, auctions. I dumpster dive at my husband’s machine shop. Grabbing as much as I can from wherever I can find it.”
“People don’t usually expect a women to be in this field. I use to paint and I found I was trying to fit into a style and I don’t have one, and I’m not going to have one, and I’m not going to be that way. I want to try all sorts of different styles of things.”
