Lowndes County
Barbed Wire Art
Linda Williams is a high school English teacher who loves country living. During a vacation to Arizona, she was inspired by the regional art to come home and try her hand at barbed wire sculptures. The rustic look of barbed wire sculptures reflects Linda’s interests in old-west history and culture.
Linda and her husband live on his ancestral farm land where there are miles of old barbed wire fences. It is this old, rusty wire that Linda uses in her sculptures. After first sketching an outline on paper, Linda twists and bends the wire to follow the design. She uses ordinary kitchen towels to protect her hands, pliers to bend sharp angles, and wire cutters for snips. A clear coat is sprayed on the finished product to keep the rust from flaking off of the wire. Some of her wall sculptures incorporate horse hair and leather strips, and her garden stakes are embellished with beads.
Linda’s pieces are also available at Carousel of Shops in Prattville.