About the Artist
I'm Jeremy Werkheiser, the founder and welding artist behind Metal Relic, an independent metal sculpture studio in Kingsley, Pennsylvania. I create original steel sculptures that combine the movement and character of the natural world with the strength, texture, and mechanical qualities of metal.
From Making Things to Making Art
I grew up in the countryside of Northeastern Pennsylvania, where building, repairing, and repurposing things were part of everyday life. I learned to look at ordinary materials and imagine what else they could become.
In 2017, I founded Metal Relic while working full-time as an industrial maintenance manager. For years, I spent my evenings and weekends in the workshop, developing ideas and turning pieces of steel into something more personal. In late 2024, I committed to making metal sculpture my full-time pursuit.
My industrial background gave me a foundation in fabrication, machinery, mechanics, and creative problem-solving. Returning to school took that foundation further: I graduated from the Susquehanna County Career and Technology Center's Welding Technology program in 2025 with a 4.0 GPA and membership in the National Technical Honor Society.
Making Steel Feel Alive
What interests me most is the contrast between industrial material and organic form. Steel is rigid and unforgiving, yet with enough imagination, precision, and patience, it can appear to bend, grow, breathe, and move.
My work ranges from wildlife, flowers, and botanical forms to imaginative creatures, highly detailed statement pieces, and bespoke commissions. Depending on the sculpture, I combine MIG, TIG, and stick welding with plasma cutting, forming, grinding, and hand fabrication. Every design brings a new technical problem to solve—and that challenge is part of the art.
One belief guides everything I create: Everyone and everything has the potential to evolve beyond its current purpose. What you are now should never limit what you can become.
A Turning Point
My sculpture The Deep Sleep—a steel Kraken rising around a sinking ship—became a defining project. With 2,542 individually fabricated scales and approximately 500 hours invested, it earned Gold at the district and Pennsylvania state SkillsUSA competitions and a National Bronze Medal at the 2025 SkillsUSA Championships.
In September 2026, I won the Fabricator Olympics Metal Art Competition and the title Metal Artist of the Year with Hunted, a sculpture built during a seven-hour live challenge. I was also selected to exhibit with the Metal Artist Collective at FABTECH 2026 in Las Vegas. These milestones matter because each one represents taking a chance, learning something new, and pushing the work further.
For the full list of exhibitions, awards, publications, and interviews, visit Press & Recognition.
Original Sculpture & Bespoke Commissions
I make both original fine-art sculptures and bespoke pieces for collectors, individuals, businesses, and organizations. Some projects celebrate a memory or a meaningful occasion. Others begin with a bold idea that needs to be engineered into reality. Whether the finished work is small and intimate or large and commanding, my goal is the same: create a sculpture that tells a story and is built to last.
Beyond the Workshop
I believe creative work is stronger when artists, educators, skilled tradespeople, and local communities support one another. I stay involved with regional arts organizations, including Artists' Open House Weekend, the Kitson Arts Alliance, North Branch Art Trail, and the Wyoming County Arts & Artists Tour.
Metal Relic continues to grow, and I'm focused on more ambitious original sculptures, public-art opportunities, and new ways to explore what welded steel can become.
Thank you to my family, friends, collectors, customers, fellow artists, and everyone who has supported this journey.
Keep pushing and create the life you want to live!
Jeremy Werkheiser
Founder & Welding Artist, Metal Relic
Kingsley, Pennsylvania
Inquire about a commission  | Explore Press & Recognition
