Kyra is an intern at Vinewoods Forge. She's finishing up her degree in art studies at Temple Univerity in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

She grew up in rural southern Chester County in Pennsylvania and engaged in equestrian pursuits and her school studies. It was an idyllic setting with open countryside and Amish neighbors. Nature was of particular interest to her and she absorbed a sense of the shapes found there. She little dreamed that she would one day seek a career in "3D Artistry" -- and especially in metal -- where that sensibility would be especially useful.

She studied art at school but found herself not connecting with the curriculum of 2D drawing, painting, etc. However, the art school basics gave her a foundation in general art expression. She found that film photography and darkroom work satisfied an urge to work with her hands but wasn't quite what she was looking for.

A course in ceramics piqued her interest in 3D art forms and she found herself wanting to work in metal. The details of working in metal both fascinated her and fed her desire to be working with her hands. She articulates a desire to do "real work" -- that is to use her hands and tools to shape things into a desired image. This drives most 3D artists and Kyra is no exception.

Kyra found herself in the summer break of 2022 wanting to do more. She decided that she would seek an internship with an established artist in metal and after contacting a number of metal artists she and Rob decided she would work at Vinewoods Forge.

She has "hit the ground running" and demonstrated that she can manipulate even difficult things like cast iron. She is very good at "stick welding" -- a particularly difficult type of heavy welding. She has also gained a mastery in welding and bending cast iron to create more organic shapes from the scrap metal. Most of the materials used for the Ram are coming from a demolished boiler house that used to sit on the site of the new center where the Ram will be. This shaping of hard shapes into curves is particularly useful at Vinewoods Forge since that "organic/inorganic" fusion is the hallmark of the studio.

Below are some examples of her art and installations. Her photography is reminiscent of some famous 1960’s photographers. Click on a photo to see it larger.