The Torch Queen. I’d love to have a nickname like that — well, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately (well, fortunately for her), this name has already been taken, and it belongs to Bonnie Wynn Ramirez of Indianapolis.
This Torch Queen lives up to her name by teaching her ongoing (and highly popular) welding classes in Indiana while still maintaining her Flameworks art studio out of Austin, Texas.
Local grandmother welds metal to dreams
Sep 14, 2009
Andrea Morehead/Eyewitness NewsIndianapolis – The age-old art form of welding, before the hammering, soldering and sanding, requires the artisan to wear the proper gear. From the gloves to the goggles, this job is not for the faint of heart as the metal rain showers fall from the hands of The Torch Queen.
Bonnie Wynn Ramirez has been getting praise for her metal work since the nineties with commissioned work in the public and private sectors. The national recognition is the result of a desire for fire. It all began when she took a summer class. “Summer in Texas, triple digits, welding, yeah. You sweat in places you didn’t know you could sweat,” Bonnie said.
The part-time course sparked a full-time interest for this grandmother. She then enrolled in the arts metal program at Austin Community College. “It was my mid-life emancipation you know. No crisis for me. I’m like hand me a torch, I’m good,” she said.
For more information about the Torch Queen and her ongoing and past projects, you can visit her website at www.torchqueen.com ->
