Biography

Ryan Kallmeyer, born 1985, is a metal sculpture artist living in New York.  He has a background in automotive and foundry work, with mediums consisting of mild steel, stainless steel, bronze, and aluminum.  Most pieces are water birds and figures.  Upon high school graduation, Ryan pursued an automotive career.  He attended the Wyoming Technical Institute in western Pennsylvania to study automotive technology.  There he learned various types of metalworking skills.  When Ryan finished school he began his work at various automotive repair locations in New York.  He quickly realized that the automotive field was better to be kept as a hobby then working in competition with coworkers. He said it was the “high priced tools and the never ending cycle of auto repair that was enough to drive anyone crazy”.  He then pursued a position as a welder at the Tallix Art Foundry in Beacon, New York.  There he learned how to weld different materials such as stainless steel, bronze, and aluminum.  When he was younger he said he would recall driving past the large blue warehouse and would see large metal sculptures outside, and say “I want to do that”.  After a short time of working there the location ended up closing due to financial reasons.  For some time after, Ryan began working various random jobs such as auto glass repair and automotive fabrication.  Soon after he began to find openings for assembly line work as a welder. For the next 2 years he worked in manufacturing; welding computer servers for IBM to fabricating stainless steel starting platforms for competitive swimming.  One day after having an argument with his supervisor he realized once again, the field was not for him.  On his first day unemployed, Ryan cut up an old bed frame and welded a bunch of automotive parts to it in the shape of a person.   For the first time with nobody looking over his shoulder he finally found something that he could feel accomplished with.  After finding out that there was a market for his skill he quickly gathered any scrap metal he could find.  He then made a name for him self by launching his website for the RK Design Studio.  His work can be seen inside and outside of businesses from restaurants to yoga studios. His most well known piece is titled “Thinking Outside The Box” it is an adaptation of Auguste Rodin’s “The Thinker”.  The flat black steel figure is offset by a gloss bright red cube. He is now a full time artist and devotes most of his time to metal sculpture work.

Artist statement

When I work with Metal, I am reminded that everything has the ability to come to life.

I begin a piece by staring at a bunch of long straight boring never ending lengths of metal.

I know a piece is done when I point my welding torch at an area of the piece and I hesitate for a second and realize that my work here is finished

When my work is going well, I am filled with a sense of accomplishment.

When people see my work, Id like them to stand back and appreciate what is in front of them, and not dig deeper into what may be behind it.