We were lucky to catch up with Rebecca Fox recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rebecca, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I’m mostly self-taught. I started by taking a sculpture class at City College of San Francisco. In that class, there was a welding area. I had never thought about welding before, but I decided to give it a try and something instantly clicked. I kept learning by creating sculptures and figuring out which tools, materials, and processes I needed along the way.

I wanted to make work that was not only visually interesting but also technically well-built, so I got a part-time job as a welder and metal fabricator at a shop in Oakland called 3D Studios. I worked there for a few years, and that experience gave me a solid foundation in metal fabrication. I learned by making, by problem-solving, and by pushing myself to figure out how to bring the ideas in my head into physical form.

If I could go back, I think taking more art and welding classes earlier on would have helped. It would have given me more tools and a stronger foundation to work with sooner.

Problem-solving has been one of the most essential skills. I often have to visualize the finished sculpture and work backward to figure out how it will come together. MIG and TIG welding are important, but so is developing an eye for balance, proportion, and flow.

One of the biggest obstacles in the beginning was access. Finding space to work and getting the right tools was difficult. I did not have a dedicated studio for a few years and only had access to the studio at the school, which was limited to a few days a week. Time management was also a challenge, trying to make art while also making a living.

Rebecca, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a metal sculptor based in San Francisco, and I have been creating abstract steel and bronze sculpture for over twenty-five years. I started my journey in sculpture through a class at City College of San Francisco. That was where I discovered welding for the first time, and something clicked immediately. I eventually took a part-time job as a welder and metal fabricator at 3D Studios in Oakland to strengthen my skills. Over time, I built a sculptural practice grounded in meticulous craftsmanship and minimalist work focused on exploring the circle.

I create free-standing sculptures, wall sculptures, and small-scale tabletop pieces. I also have a sculptural jewelry line in sterling silver and 14-karat gold. Across all of my work, I explore how to transform heavy, industrial materials into pieces that feel light, flowing, and refined. Whether I am welding a ten-foot sculpture or making a small piece of jewelry, I want each piece to feel intentional and to showcase my skills not only as a sculptor but also as a metal fabricator.

Much of my work is driven by contrast—between strength and delicacy, movement and stillness, material and form. I aim to create pieces that shift the way people experience space and challenge their expectations about what metal can do. What sets my work apart is the combination of technical precision and minimalist design, along with a deep respect for craftsmanship. I am not just interested in how a sculpture looks. I care about how it is made, how it feels in space, and how it connects with people.

My sculptures are in more than 300 public, private, and corporate collections, including Stanford Hospital, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. I have exhibited at institutions such as the de Young Museum, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, and the Museum of Sonoma County. I often work directly with collectors, designers, and curators to place the right piece in the right space.
I am most proud of building this career by doing the work. I learned through experience, made hundreds of pieces, refined my process, and stayed committed to developing my practice. Behind every sculpture is years of experimentation, hands-on skill, and passion for the material. Everything is made by hand in my San Francisco studio. I approach each new project with the same curiosity, focus, and excitement I felt when I welded my very first sculpture.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn what I had told myself for a long time, that I was afraid of taking risks with my work, especially with commissions. In the beginning, I worried about saying yes to projects that felt too big or too different. I was afraid I might not be able to pull it off or that it would push me outside of what I thought I was ready for. But I realized that fear was based on old stories I had been telling myself, not on what I was actually capable of. Once I started saying yes and trusting my skills, I found that I could stretch, solve new problems, and make work that surprised even me. Letting go of that fear opened the door to some of the most meaningful pieces I have made.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is the process itself. It is the focus in the studio, the challenge of figuring out how to bring a piece to life, and the sense of clarity that comes when the elements finally fall into place. I love the physical engagement of working with metal, the rhythm of welding, the meditative state I enter when creating repeating patterns and textures, the precision of fabrication, and the feeling of shaping something that once only existed in my mind and watching it materialize into physical form.

I am very driven and always pushing myself to refine, to experiment, and to keep growing. The reward is not just the finished sculpture but everything I learn through making it. That constant evolution, both of the work and of myself, is what keeps me coming back to the studio.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rebeccafox.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccafoxstudio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccafoxstudio

Image Credits

Michael Yochum (the photo of me)
Don Felton – Almac Camera (the photos of the sculptures)