Here’s another great project from the Make: archives.

According to Karina Olsen, the biggest mistake you can make in welding class is telling your instructor that you’re finished early. “Once the instructor knows that you need more work, they will find random, ungraded projects for you to do until your classmates catch up with you!”

When Olsen learned this lesson, she didn’t consider herself a sculptor yet; however that would change as she snuck in time for experimentation. She picked up some random bits of steel at a thrift shop, typically silverware, and simply tried various ideas. It was in this way that Olsen’s first sculpture was created “in secret” while she was a student in a welding class.

This first success sparked her interest in creating metal sculptures, so she scoured Milwaukee’s thrift stores for utensils. Friends and family also began donating unwanted wares, allowing her to amass a library of material from which to draw inspiration.

Olsen’s creations, typically animals or insects, are gorgeous feats of layered and flowing lines. The structures of the creatures themselves seem to have an intrinsic flow and she carefully uses the silverware’s flourishes and scrollwork to add visual intensity to the designs.

“People don’t always notice how beautiful their flatware is until it’s transformed into something else,” Olsen says, “and I’m always happy to help them notice by drawing attention to it in my work.”

See more on Karina’s Instragram

This article appeared in Make: Vol. 71.

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