{"id":3948,"date":"2016-05-17T14:30:06","date_gmt":"2016-05-17T21:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.arc-zone.com\/carmenelectrode\/?p=3948"},"modified":"2020-08-05T16:42:01","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T23:42:01","slug":"darlene-kerns-welding-way-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.arc-zone.com\/carmenelectrode\/2016\/05\/17\/darlene-kerns-welding-way-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"Darlene Kerns: \u00a0welding her way out of the fire"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Darlene Kerns has always been mechanical. &nbsp;\u201cMy dad had me working on cars when I was a little girl,\u201d she says. &nbsp;In fact, her dad told her if she couldn\u2019t fix it she couldn\u2019t drive it\u2014great incentive to learn. Darlene\u2019s first job was working in an auto body shop.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-3950\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.arc-zone.com\/carmenelectrode\/wp-content\/uploads\/dollysback2-300x190.jpg\" alt=\"Metal Artist Darlene Kerns \" width=\"365\" height=\"231\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMetal art is all I do now,\u201d Darlene says, and she\u2019s been able to make a living with her art. She mainly works with oxy- acetylene because most of the metal she works with is recycled. For anything over 1\/32-in. or for functional pieces for structural support, she MIG welds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In welding Darlene has found an inner purpose. \u201cI\u2019m blessed to be able to bring happiness to people with my metal art creations,\u201d she says. &nbsp;Darlene is also part of a loving and supportive community; her welding buddies are always giving her scrap metal. &nbsp;\u201cI think more women would weld if they were given the opportunity and encouraged to. I&#8217;m grateful that I&#8217;ve had both.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Darlene says as she creates she is always collecting recycled metal: sometimes she finds the perfect piece for a project she\u2019s working on, sometimes she\u2019ll make something from scratch, and sometimes she finds a piece for another project. &nbsp;\u201cThere are certain pieces of metal that scream what they want to be made into, so I just listen,\u201d she says.<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her favorite creation so far is her portrait of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. &nbsp;\u201cConsidered one of Mexico\u2019s greatest artists and admired as a feminist icon, I am inspired by her strength and will,\u201d says Darlene.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3952\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.arc-zone.com\/carmenelectrode\/wp-content\/uploads\/Frida09f.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of Frida Kahlo by Darlene Kerns\" width=\"720\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.arc-zone.com\/carmenelectrode\/wp-content\/uploads\/Frida09f.jpg 720w, https:\/\/blog.arc-zone.com\/carmenelectrode\/wp-content\/uploads\/Frida09f-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/blog.arc-zone.com\/carmenelectrode\/wp-content\/uploads\/Frida09f-624x832.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Darlene has been aware of the importance of safety in the shop since an accident with an acetylene hose at a welding space she was renting. &nbsp;The acetylene hose exploded and whipped around shooting fire until the welder ran in and turned the tank off. &nbsp;\u201cEven though it wasn&#8217;t mine it has made me more aware,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But some accidents can\u2019t be prevented through awareness. &nbsp;\u201cEaster Sunday was one of the most devastating days of my life,\u201d Darlene says. &nbsp;A fire started in the laundry room due to a faulty water heater. The laundry room was attached to Darlene\u2019s studio and shop in Pacoima, Calif. &nbsp;She not only lost a lot of her artwork, but her tools as well. &nbsp;\u201cThank God for my brother,\u201d she says, \u201che saved me and my wiener dogs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Darlene is trying not to think about what she\u2019s lost, instead looking to Frida for inspiration, an artist who persevered and continued to create in spite of many challenges, including lifelong health problems resulting from an accident. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019m strong and I have so much love and support, I&#8217;ll be creating soon,\u201d Darlene vows.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3954 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.arc-zone.com\/carmenelectrode\/wp-content\/uploads\/phoenix.jpg\" alt=\"phoenix\" width=\"241\" height=\"364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.arc-zone.com\/carmenelectrode\/wp-content\/uploads\/phoenix.jpg 636w, https:\/\/blog.arc-zone.com\/carmenelectrode\/wp-content\/uploads\/phoenix-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/blog.arc-zone.com\/carmenelectrode\/wp-content\/uploads\/phoenix-624x942.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 241px) 100vw, 241px\" \/>If you follow Darlene on Facebook you\u2019ll see she\u2019s already begun to create again. &nbsp;Her first piece since the fire is a phoenix, the mythical bird who dies in a burst of flame and is reborn of the ashes. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To learn more about Darlene and her work, visit her website at<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.darlenekerns.com\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">http:\/\/www.darlenekerns.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or follow her on Facebook: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DarleneKernsArt\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DarleneKernsArt<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019d like to help her rebuild, visit her GoFundMe page: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/darlenekerns\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/darlenekerns<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Darlene Kerns has always been mechanical. &nbsp;\u201cMy dad had me working on cars when I [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63,48,68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-rosies","category-welding-art","category-welding-tips","entry","fw-tab-6 fw-tabr-4"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - 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