Kristen Albro enrolled at Arclabs Welding School after graduating from The Citadel. Today she is a proud welder and blacksmith during the day and the artist behind Meltdown Metal Art in her spare time. Images courtesy of Kristen Albro
After graduating from a prestigious military institution, the last thing anyone thought Kristen Albro would do is go back to school to learn how to weld. But this is exactly what the 31-year-old man from Charleston, SC, did.
This was not a panic move. She was not lost, confused or clinging to anything. Albro decided that she preferred to spend time standing and working with her hands, rather than sitting at a table.
As an Air Force veteran, Albro spent his time serving as an aircraft mechanic. Later, she graduated in criminal justice with a specialization in intelligence and internal security at the Citadel. Seeing the writing on the wall about a white-collar office job, the lifelong artist did a little soul-searching on what exactly would make her happy. Working with your hands can lead to many paths, but she landed on welding because she wondered if she could somehow incorporate that into her art.
So Albro took a chance and enrolled in the welding school, a decision that took her on a career path and in art that sometimes still surprises her.
Filling the creative void
Prior to metal sculpture, Albro was an avid painter. But after a while, the painting lost its luster and she gave up.
“I used to be great at acrylic painting, but at some point along the line I started to lose my motivation for it. But I still had that creative void that I needed to fill. I’ve always been interested in sculpture, but I didn’t know which direction to take, ”explained Albro.
Until, that is, she hit her first arc.
Albro enrolled at the Arclabs Welding School near Hanahan, SC, and knew immediately that he had made the right decision.
“I fell in love with him the moment I hit the first bow,” recalls Albro.
From that point on, she knew exactly what kind of sculptor she would like to be, and more than that, she had found a career that she was sure she would love.
An instructor, who saw Albro’s desire to learn more than just weld, took her aside and showed her the basics of metal fabrication and how to work with metals of various thicknesses. He also taught her how to make a metal rose.
After graduating from Arclabs, she was hired as a blacksmith / artisan in a small shop of high quality furniture and fixtures, although at the time she had limited manufacturing experience.
Kris Albro, a longtime painter, finds a new creative path and career with welding.
“I think that during my interview I was very professional and held on in a way that they saw would be a good option for their store. It is a very small store and personalities have to come together, otherwise it can get very toxic very quickly. We all get along really well, which makes the job really fun. “
In addition to enjoying the work, it also allows her to use her creativity while gaining practical experience in manufacturing and forging. Albro gives credit to her co-workers for being excellent teachers and for helping her keep up to date.
“They taught me how to use the forge and the electric hammer, how to apply heat to metal and make it work for you, because metal sometimes has a mind of its own when you add heat. They also taught me how to thin out welds to make them invisible. These are all the things I was able to apply to my own art, ”explained Albro.
Today she is a proud welder and smith during the day and the artist behind Meltdown Metal Art LLC.
All about art
Albro is inspired by nature. As a resident of Charleston, she likes to honor the surroundings, especially the aquatic wildlife and flowers. It allows your collection of manufacturing skills to tell the history of metal in a simple, quiet, yet effective way.
Take her fish, for example. The detail work is subtle – the modeling of bodies, textures and fine details are done by hand. Although the overall aesthetic is simple, a lot of work is needed to achieve it.
“I am not as dramatic with line work as some artists. Many people, when making fish, do detailed work on the scales. Instead of doing this, I like to focus on using hammer marks as scales. That way, it looks smoother and more finished and the eyes are drawn to the more simplistic ideology behind each fish, ”said Albro.
She continued to refine and build on the first metal rose that her instructor at Arclabs taught her. Now she intends to hide the solders and has branched out to other flowers, including lilies. She also does custom work and recently started selling her art on the Etsy website, an online space for creators and artists of all genres.
In addition to Etsy, Albro relies on Instagram to showcase his art, his work and parts of his life. What she found was that she is not only reaching people who may be interested in her art or in her daily life, she is also reaching an audience that may be curious about what it is like to be a woman in a working-class world.
“I want to launch something I’m proud of. I don’t want to portray the blue collar industry of welders and blacksmiths as a false narrative, wearing makeup and a low-cut shirt while working.
“If there is a 14 year old girl who is considering a blue collar career, like welding and manufacturing, I want that girl to be able to go to my Instagram page and get inspired by her. I would like her to know that it is okay to work in this industry and still be a girl. “