Precious Metals

A Garden Shed Is a Fitting Place for This Creative Couple to Weld Striking Sculptures Bound for the Outdoors

- Kylie Jackes

WITH SUN STREAMING into her pint-sized workshop, where a sheet of Corten steel is being shaped into a giant feather, Natalia Broadhead is quick to dispel notions welding is glamorous. “There’s sparks and plenty of sweat, but it’s no Flash dance,” she says, referencing the ’80s cult film. “I’m not into dancing after I’ve knocked off for the day.”

It is, however, an all-consuming passion for Natalia, who often spends evenings with a pen in hand sketching designs she and her husband, Duncan, create in their modest studio, nestled in the Noosa Hinterland, an idyllic backdrop for their work. Rusted steel planters hang from trees and metal flowers spring from garden beds, while large-scale sculptures punctuate the landscape where chooks roam freely and dogs Fred and Dave paddle in the dam.