Workshops at Walden Three Studio
This video produced by Cogeco aptly describes Walden Three Studio and particularly the workshops. Go to contacts to book a workshop.
Create your own metal sculpture
Jack will do a one on one metal art instruction with you, helping you to understand, compose, and inspire you to create beautiful metal expressions of your own using 7-9 pieces of metal.
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Learn about the background to metal art, inspirational artists and how to create your own metal art.
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Jack welds the sculpture which you compose. It takes approximately three hours to weld 7-9 pieces of metal together.
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A one day workshop, includes a take home creation that you have created.
Full day, One person .......................$300
Full day, Two people ........................$250 each
Personal Studio Time
In studio time you are welcome to come and work on your own. Bookings for welding time must be done in advance. Proof of welding and cutting certificate must be provided in order to use the equipment.
Studio time.................................................................$50 per/hr
What our workshop participants are saying
I had a great day creating my own sculpture. I made a piece that I gave to my boyfriend and now it hangs proudly on his wall
Fran Watson
Create Your Own Metal Sculpture
One day workshops at Walden Three Studio.
By Kathleen Lippa
I took part in a one-day “Create Your Own Metal Sculpture” workshop with Jack Stekelenburg at his studio near Renfrew recently, and while getting to be creative in a brand new way, I discovered beauty in old, discarded metal.
When I first pulled onto the Walden Three Studio site I felt as if I’d stumbled upon a lovingly tended metal graveyard. But given that this is an artist’s world, there is hope and life swirling around these relics.
As you look closer, past the doll wearing sunglasses, and the mannequins wearing pink boas, you can see everything is organized in such a way that at any moment a curious visitor, or Jack himself could just come along and bring any one of those rusted pieces back to life.
It’s quite popular these days to hear about the importance of recycling, and making use of what you have. But Walden Three Studio is a place where you can see, feel, and hear recycling in action. Some of the pieces I saw, somewhat organized by shape and size, included: an old skate, pipe elbows, spoons, rods, scissors, wheels, curly wires and springs, rakes, shovels, and golf clubs. All these things, and a whole lot more, are spread over tables on the property, and you are encouraged to take your time looking at everything to find what bits “speak” to you, if you will. I recommend taking your time. The rusted-out items sitting there in their orange, green, blue, but mostly dusty, electric orange-coloured glory have a curious ability to draw you in. When you see something interesting, it can really jump out at you, so grab it. Think about what it could be made into. And, if you are lucky, you are off to the forge!
Coming in with a set idea of what kind of sculpture you’d like to create is good. I really wanted a turtle sculpture for my garden, so I was thinking about legs, a head, and of course what would make a shell as I walked around the tables. But be willing to go in the direction of an abstract creation, inspired by those metal pieces. There is obviously a lot to choose from. Jack says he's “a modern day hunter-gatherer”, and when you take the time to really look at all the pieces he’s collected over the years, you will have no doubt this is so.
A shovel, rod, and rail spikes were chosen to build my turtle sculpture. I got to see a plasma cutter being used when the shell was made. The plasma cutter and welding tools were Jack’s domain all the way. But I did get to use a grinder at one point to smooth out some weld marks on the turtle’s back. I must admit, I was a bit nervous with that tool. I’d never used a grinder before, and I feared losing control of it. But of course the whole experience from start to finish was fascinating, Jack being the professional artist and craftsperson he is. Sharing his knowledge of how all these metal-working tools work is all part of the fun.
My favourite part of the day was getting to use the forge. Being a fan of “Forged in Fire” on the History Channel, I was pretty stoked (pun intended) about seeing that coal fired up, and hammering hot steel into the shape of a turtle head. Similar to meditation, I was in the zone doing this. The fire was indeed mesmerizing -- and pleasantly warming. Next time, though, I’ll wear a more heavy-duty moisturizer on my face, maybe some kind of balm, because the heat from the forge is quite powerful.
A “bonus round” of creation was afforded to me since I was working one-on-one with Jack, so I decided to give an old horseshoe a new life as an abstract sculpture. The seemingly simple design of the horseshoe standing off-kilter on a rock ended up giving Jack something of a problem when it came to the welding which the artist admitted he actually liked having to figure out. Jack had to find a way to connect the power tool to the sculpture to get it welded without damaging it. I didn’t really have any doubt he would manage it, and when he did, the piece looked so cool I knew it would be an indoor piece — perhaps for somewhere prominent, like a mantel above a fireplace. Fitting.
I can’t pretend I understand how Jack does all this collecting and sorting and creating with scrap metal. But my sculptures turned out better than imagined, and I had an invigorating day – outside most of the time, in the lovely countryside near Renfrew.
Paula Waddell
Paula created this beautiful abstract piece for her garden at a workshop in July, 2017
Luanne Waddell
Luanne created this minimalist piece at a workshop in July 2017
Chris Mussett forges a metal sculpture
Chris Mussett came to the studio with the parameters of only using three pieces of metal in his sculpture. The small twirly piece was forged and the other two objects are found. This was constructed to give the impression of a wave.
"Jack, the blacksmith"
"Today was very fun and Jack included me in a lot of stuff"
James Ferris, age 9
"An addition for the garden"
"A great workshop. Even those without any artistic talent can create a masterpiece"
Mary Anne Harrison