Art, family business & gardens grow together

By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com

This weekend is the Penrod Arts Fair at Newfields, 4000 N. Michigan Road, Indianapolis, which you can read about in The Reporter at this link. Among the artists being featured there, Joanie Drizin and her son Josh Drizin from Girly Steel Studio in Noblesville will be present, as they have been for many years.

Photo provided

“We’ve been making metal sculpture for the landscape for the last 25 years,” Joanie told The Reporter. “Basically we create art out of steel and rebar and construction material to accent the landscape.”

Before moving into metal sculpture, Joanie was a commercial artist working in pottery.

“I was taking classes at the Indianapolis Art Center and participated as a student in the art fair,” Joanie said. “I was selling my pottery, but I was also trying out a couple metal pieces and they sold right away. I just decided that was the time to make the switch. I really like working with power tools and fire, so once I made that switch it just steamrolled.”

Josh has been involved with the business side of Girly Steel full time for about 10 years.

“I know at first we had only ever gone to Penrod and visited,” Josh said. “It’s just such a great show that Joanie just wanted to be in it. She was on the waitlist for it the very first year and convinced them to let her in and we’ve been back ever since then. It was a big process of getting in that first year and showing just how popular we were.”

According to both Joanie and Josh, they approach steel art from a garden decoration perspective.

They noted that during and after the pandemic, gardens have become more important to people.

“Everyone during that time spent so much time out in the garden or out in their yards that now everyone has pictures of their gardens, where they didn’t used to have that,” Josh said. “I think having spent so much time in the garden, they see the decorations and wonder what else they could do with it. It’s really become kind of a safe hangout for a lot of people.”

Josh said he has seen customers come back year after year to buy one or a few pieces at a time to grow their sculpture collection as they grow their gardens.

“I know we’ve had some customers who’ve been buying stuff for 25 years actually, and they come to the shows and they tell us every single piece that they’ve ever bought,” Josh said. “I was sitting there thinking, ‘Wow. I probably made that piece, but I just do not remember it.’ You make so much stuff and sometimes we do have one-offs where I just never got around to making another one, or maybe somebody bought it before I could make another one, and then I forgot about it. That does occasionally happen.”

You can see the Drizins and their art at Penrod this weekend. Tickets and more information can be found online at penrod.org.

If you are not going to Penrod Arts Fair at Newfields this weekend, you can always learn more about Girly Steel Studio online at facebook.com/girlysteel and girlysteel.com. You could also call (317) 490-1980 or email joanie@girlysteel.com to find a good time to stop by the studio at 336 S. 8th St., Noblesville.

Photo provided