PROMETHEUS WELDING
Hi, we are Jessica and Eric of Prometheus Welding! We joined Hive Market in spring of 2021. For several years now our small family art studio has been providing our community with unique welded sculptures made from reclaimed materials. Born and raised in Sea Cliff, our primary sales venues have been the annual Sea Cliff Mini Mart and the Deep Roots Artisans Marketplace. Laura reached out to us in early 2021 after hearing our name from local event organizers. Excited at the opportunity to expand into a new community, we happily accepted Laura’s offer to display our products at the Hive. She and Claudine welcomed us with open arms. To date they have been some of our biggest supporters. We’ve made the acquaintance of so many other vendors whose work is also displayed at the Hive and we are privileged to be a part of a fantastic local artisan community.
In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to mankind. Essentially, he provided the human race with the power of creation. For this he was punished by the gods of Olympus, who were angered that he had elevated humanity to a level closer to that of the divine. When we chose a name for our art studio we wanted to reflect the power of creation that all artists possess. Those who create art are using raw materials (themselves often unremarkable), to create something new and inspiring. What was once a rusty shovelhead, a garden rake, and a handful of discarded roofing nails can be transformed by a talented artist into something beautiful and unique. Viewing ourselves as heirs to the gift of fire, we decided to call ourselves Prometheus Welding to reflect the power and responsibility we feel and bearers of the sacred fire of creation.
Prometheus Welding started selling art in 2015, but our roots go back even further. In 2012, after almost two decades working in shipping & receiving, Eric decided that he needed to make a career change. He explored the courses offered by local technical schools, ultimately signing up for evening welding at Boces. He knew immediately that he had found his calling and in just over a year he had left his shipping job for a welding position with a local iron works. At home, he converted the garage into a welding workshop and began producing art over the evenings and weekends.
During the Covid quarantine of 2020, Jessica stepped up from assisting Eric to become a full-fledged welding artist herself. Working through the sweltering summer heat she developed her skills and artistic style. Before long she was producing fantastic works of reclaimed art, allowing Prometheus Welding to evolve and expand its appeal to a much wider audience. In the fall of 2020 she debuted her art at the Deep Roots Artisans Marketplace and received an overwhelmingly positive response. Since then Jessica’s creations have been in high-demand, often selling out faster than she can produce them.
Over the last few years our studio has grown by leaps and bounds. Our sons, Logan (14) and Brody (12) have produced and sold their own original sculptures. We’ve produced commissioned art work for many clients in our own community, and for others as far away as Germany. We feel a great swell of pride every time we send one of our creations out into the world. In a very real sense we see this as a part of ourselves finding its destiny in someone’s garden, home, or office. It’s comforting to consider that these pieces will likely remain in the world long after we are gone.
Eric & Jessica Blackburn
Prometheus Welding