Photography by vanessa bulger
About Leah
Leah Aripotch is a metal sculptor based in Oakland, California. She was born is 1987 and raised in Montauk, New York. She spent her childhood in swamps catching bugs and reptiles, surrounded by the lore of the abandoned air force base in her childhood backyard. She studied painting at SCAD for three years before transferring and receiving her BFA in sculpture from
Academy of Art University. Upon graduating, she began a paid apprenticeship in a commercial fabrication shop under her mentor, Brian Martin. Three years later, she opened her own metal shop where she has since focused exclusively on making art. Her work has gone down the runway at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, featured in various magazines and publications, and displayed in museums across the country, including the National Museum of Metal, the Fuller Craft Museum, Haggin Museum, and the DeYoung. A forever student of the metal arts, she continues to train and learn under masters of the craft and is constantly pursuing the equipment and knowledge necessary to push the limits of what can be hand built in steel. She lives in Oakland with her husband and two cats and builds monsters and aliens out of her metal shop.
Email Leaharipotch@gmail