Meet Leah Jeffery | Scrap Metal Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leah Jeffery and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leah, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Throughout middle school and high school, I took various art classes but never considered pursuing art as a career. I’m severely dyslexic, so school was never my thing, and when I was in high school, I couldn’t imagine choosing to labor through another four years of torture in a traditional college. I knew I wanted a hands-on career. I began looking into different trades and settled upon welding, because fire, you know. I started welding classes, and I loved it. During my second year in class, I began to look for some different projects to do in my spare time. Inspired by posts I saw on social media, I began to create a great horned owl from spoons and knives. Once I completed this piece, I realized how much I enjoyed creating and how much I really wanted to create. So, I decided to make more, and with the money I received from them, I was able to get my own equipment, and continue to pursue sculpting. Ever since then, I’ve been creating sculptures on the side, learning throughout the process how to best use different materials and how to manipulate them into the shape I want with every sculpture I make. Finding random pieces of metal and trying to figure out how to use them is such a fun process. I’m really glad I choose to pursue sculpting from scrap as my career.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It started off just see some people making things from flatware on social media and wanting to try that. Then once I made my first sculpture people thought it was really cool and I got a few commissions. With the money from those I was able to get my own equipment. And from there I just kept making more sculptures, and have been slowly growing since. I’ve been learning and growing as a sculptor just in how to best use different pieces of scrap. And how to replicate the shapes of animals in the metal. I would like for people to see the value that can be made from what people regard as trash through my art. And to see junk more as a resource then useless.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Main Street in Hogansville would be the place to start. There’s lots of little shops to go in, and restaurants. We’d probably get a pizza or two at Karvelas We definitely would be spending a few hours perusing the items at Born Again Antique. And maybe spend a day at this cool zoo, Iron P Zoo. Then we’d go to the Drive Bar for an evening.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Main Street in Hogansville would be the place to start. There’s lots of little shops to go in, and restaurants. We’d probably get a pizza or two at Karvelas We definitely would be spending a few hours perusing the items at Born Again Antique. And maybe spend a day at this cool zoo, Iron P Zoo. Then we’d go to the Drive Bar for an evening.

Website: https://www.bruisedreedstudio.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bruised_reed_studio/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bruisedreedstudio/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/bruisedreedstudio/

Image Credits
Katie Jeffery