CAA Member Pierrette Sherwood turns scrap metal into treasured contemporary art

A rusty old sawblade: Most people see a piece of junk destined for the trash heap. CAA Member Pierrette Sherwood sees possibilities. The reclaimed metal artist embraces the rich patina of the past to craft one-of-a-kind, nostalgia-inducing objects.

As a child, Sherwood molded playful forms out of mud scooped from the fields of her family’s St. Norbert dairy farm. Now, the artist scours old homesteads and Manitoba backroads for the tools of her trade: salvaged scrap metal, antique agricultural implements and tools.

Sherwood has been working with reclaimed metal since 2007, when she started making large multidimensional pieces for her garden. But the real pull of the medium, she says, “came from the gravitas of time’s passing on each piece. Objects carry memories, stirring emotions that are often deeply rooted.” The vintage-obsessed maker doesn’t allow the constraints of using recycled materials to compromise her artistic vision: “I use them to infuse a raw essence into my creative expressions.”

Taking inspiration from the natural landscape and wildlife surrounding her Ste. Anne studio, Sherwood tames unwieldy, linear metal into organic shapes—ravens and trees are particular favourites. Given her penchant for agricultural implements, the weight and size of each piece can be a challenge. Getting the right angle to weld and deciding the sequence of each element makes her creative process an exercise in problem-solving.

Whatever emerges from the fine metal dust certainly attracts an audience: Her art has been featured in exhibits and private collections across North America, and she continues to produce custom pieces for clients.

Pierrette Sherwood will be part of the Dawson Trail Art Tour in September 2021. Learn more about her art and order a custom piece at papilloncreations.ca.