Carla Sullivan's Language Arts

The Moultonborough artist transforms castoff tools

courtesy photo #1 Dad, $60

A man’s tools can be a woman’s words of love. Carla Sullivan of Moultonborough has a “hoarder’s shed” filled with old wrenches, hammers and pliers she transforms from castaway, rusty hardware to affirmative messages. With coffee in hand, each morning she surveys her wealth of raw materials and, once inspired, takes to her welder’s arc.

Her collection of raw materials includes just about anything metal that she can repurpose by removing the rust, adding a bit of shine and using a creative approach to assembly. She can see moose antlers in crescent wrenches or a flower petal in the curve of a horseshoe. In the end, Sullivan is happy to save once-prized tools to live another life as adornment for the wall or amusement in the garden.

Sullivan’s New Beginnings can be found at Glorious Possibilities in Nashua and her All Things Repurposed space inside Meredith Bay Furniture Company on Main Street in Meredith. She also accepts commissions, including designing a new life for Grandpa’s tool collection or Grandma’s kitchen gadgets. Other work includes freestanding sculptures and repurposed vintage wood boxes for ice chests or creative storage.