Yes I weld….
Not exactly or even close …but Jennifer Beals in Flashdance is always the first thing people think of if you were alive in 1983 (for the youngins …it was a movie where she was a welder by day dancer by night and a WOW!).
Everyone has also heard of Rosie the riveter but what about Winnie the welder?
WWII had women stepping up filling the spots of the men who went to war.
One of these women was Zaddie Johnson,
the leader of her own welding crew in Mobile, Alabama.
Her efforts helped the United States to produce one battle-ready ship every single day.
There was even a competition for the female welders of WWII, it was all about the weld.
The contest was based on speed, workmanship, and quality.
In 1944, Vera Anderson (far right, next to the official) won the competition.
She was nineteen and working in Pascagoula when she won the title of
“World’s Champion Welder”.
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At 28, I was painting murals, residential and commercial, welding became my interest, and it stemmed from the pieces in my head that I wanted to create. Night classes at a tech school, with men learning refrigeration, were my option in the 80’s. I love the physicality of my work and there is an amazing amount of satisfaction in the process of welding. Really!!!
Panels and organic shaped components
Botanicals ready to weld
leafy element
figuring stuff out