MiVT: Twisted Perception Metalworks

FAIRFIELD, Vt. (WCAX) - Rebecca Nase Chomyn has always been artsy.

“I am a welder, a metal artist. Welding is one of the things that I do. A fabricator I guess is more appropriate,” she laughed.

This Fairfield metalworker makes metal art of all shapes, sizes and designs. It all began with a college visit.

“Never really wanted to go to school for it, and ended up visiting Pratt Institute, [where] I went in New York,” said the artist. “My mom’s maiden name is Pratt, so she was like, ‘Let’s go check it out.’”

It was there that she fell in love with welding, some 22 years ago.

After graduating, she opened Twisted Perception Metalworks, also known as VT Steel LLC. She started out making her products as a side business, while also working as a fabricator for other companies.

As time went on and life began to heat up, she decided to take on Twisted Perception full time.

“Doing what I didn’t really want to be doing, working for somebody else was kind of stressing me out and I was like, OK, I can do this. I can totally do this,” explained Nase Chomyn.

With brute strength and a lot of passion, she spends her time cutting, welding and bending her designs into shape. The workshop is littered with sheet metal and cold-pressed steel rods, waiting to be turned into flowers, bees or butterflies for people to enjoy around the home.

“Like I’ll stand here for hours, usually have a whole pile of metal things and I’ll just bend, curly cue and I’ll have a pile of the curls just laying everywhere,” she said. “I’m like, let’s see... what’re we going to make here?”

Most of her designs are symbolic of Vermont, think state outlines and maple leaves. Though, some of her favorite work comes from custom orders.

“I had somebody at the market ask me, ‘Can you make this tattoo out of metal?’ I’m like... sure can!”

Though the materials are rigid, Nase Chomyn says she loves the flexibility of her work and creating things that can only be Made in Vermont.

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