“Look daddy. A dragon,” yells a toddler as he spies a metal art dragon shimmering in the Saturday sunlight. Vladyslav Ivanchenko, the metal art creator, smiles at the little guy’s burst of enthusiasm.
Ivanchenko, one of 250-plus vendors at St. Albert Farmers’ Market, is a metalsmith who operates Nata’s Home Decor. His booth, located on St. Anne Promenade, is filled with custom-made metal art. And every artistic creation is fabricated from discarded chunks of aluminum sheets.
Animals are his specialty: raptors, dragonflies, crows, bears, cats, dogs, horses, unicorns, eagles, bears, deer, birds and fish. He’s even crafted a Harley-Davidson decal, the tree of life, and a long-stem red rose that appears so velvety soft one needs to touch it to believe it’s powder-coated aluminum.
When asked why he started the business, Ivanchenko replied, “I wanted to keep busy. We had time. You have to do something. I like communicating with people. It is a good opportunity to make extra money to pay bills and enjoy something new you make,” Ivanchenko said.
Originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, the metalsmith was trained as a welder. His first visit to Canada came in 2006 after spotting an advertisement in a Ukrainian newspaper that a Canadian company in Tisdale, Sask. was hiring welders.
He came to check out the lay of the land and realized, “I need to stay here. I liked the space.” Although Ivanchenko is a man of few words, his short sentences are rich with meaning. Like every immigrant before him, Canada offered the opportunity to start a new life, one that was financially secure and safe.
Looking to cash in on Alberta’s oil boom, the Ukrainian immigrant moved to Alberta working for a company that built oil rigs from scratch. But by 2008 Alberta slid into a recession and “nobody was buying oil rigs.”
By now, Ivanchenko had developed contacts and was confident in his skills. He created his own commercial company and is a subcontractor for Supreme Steel. His company now builds handrails for F-35 airplanes which are trucked to Alaska.
In constructing different commercial projects, throwaway scraps from aluminum sheets result. Both creative and economically savvy, Ivanchenko reused the material and started Nata’s Home Decor, named after his wife.
“I give them a second life,” he said.
Through the fabrication process, the metalsmith loads a stencil into a computer and uses both plasma and laser equipment to trace cuts. While plasma is less expensive and used to cut most projects, laser incorporates fine details, he said.
After tracing and cutting the metal, Ivanchenko powder coats his design.
“I use one coat and play around. I spray powder and then remove the excess powder. Then I bake at 400 F. I bake, cool, wrap and its ready for market.”
Nata’s Home Decor has been a staple at St. Albert Farmers Market for four years. With the market’s high concentration of tourists purchasing one-of-a-kind wares, Ivanchenko’s metal art has traveled across North America, continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan and South America.
While locals immediately gravitate to his dogs and cats, overseas tourists prefer taking home symbols of Canada such as bears, wolves, moose and elk.
Perhaps Ivanchenko’s most breathtaking piece of art was a life-size raptor showcased at Bonnie Doone Mall in an artisanal area.
His 17-year-old daughter Katerina, known to friends as Katya, has worked in the family business since she was 10.
“This is good quality art. It’s aluminum. It can’t rust and it shines beautifully in the sun. It will probably last 30-plus years. It’s not something you find in stores. Each one is unique,” she said.
The St. Albert Farmers Market is operated every Saturday on St. Anne Street from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
