Ellen Durkan

Ellen is an artist blacksmith from Wilmington Delaware. She teaches part time at a college and has her own business: Iron Maiden Forge.  Ellen creates wearable “Forged Fashion” art that she presents through a performance runway show in addition to her large scale drawings.  Ellen teaches blacksmithing classes during the summer at different craft centers as well as forging demonstrations for conferences and events. She received her graduate degree in Fine Arts but found metal working intriguing while in college and her curiosity and determination has led her to her current body of work. Ellen includes different techniques such as chasing repousse or leather work to enhance her ideas as well as skills. Her metal work started as forged stationary “metal dresses” in which Ellen would place a nude figure. Her current body of work is still inspired by the human body, it is created to be worn and it is inspired by the concepts of emotional vulnerability. Ellen enjoys creating pieces to fit the complex forms of the figure and how each piece takes on a new presence with a new wearer. She creates forged work to decorate the body as visual and metaphorical armor. The metal forging and forming process constantly inspires her to build challenging new creations to be worn.