One derby girl's day job.

by Smashimi

Steelia Thunder is a hard-hitting, pace-setting pivot by night and a sculptor/jewelry designer by day. This proud mama holds a bachelor's degree in metal from the Memphis College of Art and currently works in Mark Nowell's studio, bringing his designs to life. She can often be seen wearing tattered and holey clothing with paint splashed all over it and welding leathers - a drastic change from her sexy, pink, waitress-inspired uniform of the PrissKilla Prezleys.

Asked to describe the mechanics of her work, Steelia says, "Usually I cut steel with a torch, and weld it together. Then I grind the welds until smooth and shiny, add black or silver paint when needed and help install the pieces, which are anywhere from 9- to 35-feet tall, at their destination." Steelia recently helped Nowell complete two urban art projects for the city of Memphis. The Hickory Hill Police Precinct is home to "Sparks," a stainless steel melting pot with sparks at the top. At the Katie Sexton Community Center in North Memphis, visitors can walk through "A Center in the Universe," a 25-foot tall installation with trees and houses in an open field in front of a metal solar system.

Recently, Steelia has started adding color to Mark's gnarlier sculptures and really enjoys it. "I spend my day mixing colored enamel and applying it with various techniques. There are now a hundred tin foil cups of colored enamel piled on my work table. Mark makes a bizarre thing, tells me a crazy story about it, and I perpetuate the myth with color on the steel," Steelia says, making it easy to see where her derby name originated.

Steelia doesn't just bring other people's ideas to life, she started her own company, Stamatia (Stama-TEE-Ah), to showcase her sterling silver jewelry designs. "This year the jewelry site is moving slow due to the roller skating obsession I have developed, " she says, "but I am working on some exciting new designs for Spring 2007, when www.stamatia.net will be back in full swing."

Until then, see Steelia Thunder strut her stuff on the rink.