About

“I feel at home in a space with tools in my hands while surrounded by the vibrations of music. Here I am free.”

Rachel K DeLong is a multifaceted creator working with copper, mixed metals, engine components and inspiring objects. She enjoys the challenge of using what materials are available to her, as she finds creating new work to be an engineering puzzle which she is eager to solve. Her love of tools and passion for being creative is what motivates her.

Copper allows her to execute precision work, drawing from her background in CNC machining and CAD pattern design. The colors and textures of patinas on copper remind her of distant galaxies; another personal passion. Her MIG and TIG welding skills allow her to create sculptures with mixed metals and found objects. Dismantling engines is a favorite past time as she not only enjoys understanding the mechanics of how machines operate, but also each engine component has vast potential for another life in a sculpture. She is fond of using her Pexto Brake (manufactured in 1914 for bending metal) and Pexto Shear (manufactured in 1968 for cutting metal) in creating modern sculptures with simple antique technology.

Rachel first found success in a glass studio operating and programming a three phase CNC machine. Her glass designs were sold internationally and across the United States in numerous fine craft galleries. She experimented creating jewelry, sign writing, woodworking and opened her own hand craft gallery for several years. She is now back in a studio amongst her beloved collection of tools and equipment where she feels most alive. She looks forward to seeing how these current collections evolve and how she too evolves in the process.