Ruta Wilson is not your everyday local artist. A former Toronto resident with twenty years of welding experience, Ruta has made Owen Sound home to her family and her uniquely inspiring ‘found metal art’ studio. If you haven’t heard of this particular art form, you certainly aren’t the first. What Ruta and her two sons are creating in their backyard shop is unlike anything you will find locally.

In a nutshell, Ruta collects various types of old scrap metal, which she subsequently converts into amazing artistic creations with fused and stained glass. Some of her proudest creations on display at her home studio include a large metallic peacock, phoenix, housefly and a giant flea sporting the end of a shovel for its wings. The yard and shop are adorned with all kinds of parts waiting to be made into art. If you stop by for a visit, Ruta will gladly show you a piece of metal scrap soon to be used as a skirt for an upcoming Marilyn Monroe creation. She is always on the lookout for old parts such as rakes, grates, pipes and especially, broken farm implements. With no shame whatsoever, Ruta admits that regular visits to the dump have contributed immeasurably to her parts collection.  

So what would evoke such a concept of drawing artistic inspiration from junk metal? The light went on one day while Ruta was still living in the ‘big smoke’ working at Skydome. She happened to notice a significant amount of scrap metal going to waste and the creative wheels started turning. Fast forward to the present, where all it takes is one piece of metal to inspire her to put it all together.

Ruta’s passion has since caught on in her household. Her oldest son Phoenix paints and does the plasma cutting for her creations, while Wayland her youngest works the MIG welder. The studio has been in operation for about one year with some big plans for the immediate future. She is currently featured in the popular Grey-Bruce ‘the art map’ brochure and website. It is also Ruta’s hope that she will be included in the area’s Studio Tour by next year.

In the meantime, Ruta has not gone unnoticed in the local business community. Her artwork can be witnessed on display at Rocky Raccoon Café in downtown Owen Sound. Just look for the nude Marge Simpson.

To schedule an appointment at West Rock Art Metal, call 519-376-4287. Visit our website to catch a glimpse. But as Ruta will attest, nothing beats the in-person viewing of her works. It’s quite an amazing spectacle that you must see for yourself.

Article & Photos by: Jamie Pettit