Meet Leah Aripotch

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Aripotch. 

Leah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story began in 2005 at Savannah College of Art and Design. I convinced my parents to let me go to art school under the pretense that I would be majoring in Architecture and Interior Design. But I really wanted to paint and changed my major almost immediately once I arrived. I loved painting but was required to take a 3D class, and began to fall in love with sculpture. I continued to major in painting but was taking a lot of sculpture classes as well. It wasn’t long before I was introduced to the welder in class, and that ultimately led to what I suspect will be a lifelong obsession with steel. In 2008, I transferred to Academy of Art University and about two semesters in officially changed my major to sculpture with an emphasis on metalwork. I learned a lot throughout my time at AAU and I had incredible mentors there. I graduated in 2012 with a BFA in Sculpture and shortly thereafter began working in a commercial metal shop in San Francisco called Brian Martin Metals. In my three years there, Brian taught me everything he knew about fabrication and was a huge mentor for me, both on the architectural/ furniture side and the sculpture side. He is a genius, and he made me into the fabricator I am today. In 2015, I left my position as Lead Fabricator at Brian Martin Metals to open my own shop in Berkeley. My shop has since moved to Oakland, but I’ve been making metal sculptures full-time ever since. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t know any metal sculptors who claim to have had a smooth road. It’s a difficult career path. The work is physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing. It’s dangerous work in an often-uncomfortable environment. The initial studio investment and overhead thereafter is expensive, and it’s not exactly a lucrative field. Shop security is often a stressor for me. And then on top of all of that, I’m still a fine artist who has to deal with the immensely competitive art world. And I find that as fine art forms go, Metal artists are still somewhat misunderstood and marginalized within that world. However, I still feel like I have the coolest job in the world. I love what I do, and feel extremely fortunate to be able to pursue my passion. I believe my road has been smoother than others. My husband, Frank, my friends, and family have been so unbelievably supportive over the years. Furthermore, my whole career as an artist, I have had the most amazing mentors, role models, and colleagues along for the journey. I consider myself very lucky to continuously find myself in the company of incredibly talented people who educate and inspire me. No one does it alone. That’s the key to enduring the potholes. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Drawing from my love of science fiction and obsession with mother nature’s strangest offerings, my work blends organic forms with the surreal in an effort to cast light on some of the darker aspects of the human condition. Recently, I have begun to build steel monsters that are both recognizable – insofar as they are inspired by strange flora and fauna including orchids and carnivorous plants – but also uncanny and even extraterrestrial. These explorations range from anthropomorphized plants with seemingly nefarious intentions to blind eight-legged creatures being controlled by parasitic eyeball monsters. This new series, which features themes like gluttony, emotional armor, and codependency, serves as an outlet for me to continue my investigations into other aspects of the human experience, as well as test the limits of my own imagination. 

Within the metal-smithing community, I am known for my technical virtuosity. I aim to create steel sculptures with lifelike realism using both forging (blacksmithing) and fabrication (welding) techniques. My primary tools include welders, a propane forge, hammers (ranging from a tiny ball-peen hammer to a 30 lb. power hammer), and an array of steel grinders, with which I carefully manipulate stock industrial steel into organic forms. By adapting traditional and modern metal forming techniques in innovative and unprecedented ways, I’m able to shape steel into highly detailed creatures of otherworldly origin that appear as if they were cast. 

I am most proud of the messages I get from young, aspiring metal artists. The messaging could be anything from looking for advice or mentorship, to just saying hi. Being seen as a role model is a huge honor to me because I know how I feel about my role models, and I’m aware of the immense impact they’ve had on my artistic journey. If I can develop new and interesting ways to push the limitations of steel, I can offer these artists something meaningful. 

What matters most to you? Why?
Time matters most to me. How I spend it, how I take it, how I give it. It’s the most valuable thing each one of us possesses in my opinion. And we don’t know how much of it each one of us has. It’s of the utmost priority to me to spend my time doing what I love. I don’t take it lightly when people spend their time on me. And it’s the most valuable thing that I can offer to others. I’m looking forward to the day when I can be more generous with my time and start moving into the mentor phase of my career. I hate the saying, “Time is Money,” and so did my mentor. Time is life. 

Contact Info:

• Email: Leaharipotch@gmail.com
• Website: Leaharipotch.com
• Instagram: @Leaharipotch