Check Out Ken Leach’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ken Leach.

Hi Ken, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m Ken Leach, a retired educator with 37 years of experience, specializing in ocean education and the creator of Gwinnett County’s oceanography curriculum. Growing up on the Oregon coast, my passion for the sea was born in the tide pools and carried into my classroom, where I infused art into learning. When I retired I had to find something to fill the void for the creativity I used in the classroom. While putting away the boxes from my classroom, a gift that I received in my second year of teaching fell out of a box. It was a simple Japanese swan made out of very thin PVC pipe. Immediately, the idea popped into my head, this is something to fill the gap of teaching about the ocean in a creative manner. Now in retirement, I continue to merge creativity with my love for the ocean, sculpting and designing coastal-inspired art while also leading workshops for teachers on shorebirds, coastal ecology, and sea turtles. At PVSea Creations, we transform recycled PVC pipe into vibrant coastal-themed sculptures that bring the sea to your garden or yard. From colorful shorebirds to elegant seahorses, manta rays, and hammerhead sharks, each piece is hand-crafted through a unique process: we trace and cut the design, sand off the slick surface, then heat, bend, and paint the piece to life. It’s sustainable art inspired by the ocean—where creativity meets conservation.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been amazingly smooth. If there has been struggles, it was that I was not familiar with the craft show business. But my mentor, Vickie McCrary, has guided me along the way. I am still new in this business and learning a lot about which shows to go to, how to pack it all up and how much do I charge.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in up-cycling PVC pipe into sculptures that focus on coastal creatures. I get the pipe from wherever I can. Plumbers, electricians, contractors and even Facebook marketplace. Once I get the pipe, depending on size, I decide what creatures I want/need to work on. The larger the pipe diameter the bigger my creation can be. After I cut out the material, I start with sanding out all of the nicks and rough spots from cutting. You can start to recognize what creature is being created. Then comes the heating and bending phase. At 210 degrees the pipe becomes pliable. I am able to shape the pipe into a creature, make the bird’s neck that classic “S” shape or make a manta’s wings look just right. Now comes sanding and smoothing where I get rid of the sharp edges and make smooth transitions and curves. The last part is painting the creature with spray paint. I have two approaches for this phase: 1. What color combinations would make this bird standout in the garden or 2. What colors do I need to make the bird look natural and realistic.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Most people assume I’ve always been an artist, but the truth is I spent 30+ years teaching ocean science and writing curriculum before I ever shaped a single piece of PVC. I am completely self taught. I grew up on the Oregon coast crawling through tide pools, not art studios, and that early obsession with marine life ended up shaping my work decades later. What surprises people is that PVSea Creations didn’t come from an art background, it came from a teacher’s curiosity and a lifetime studying the coast.

Pricing:

• small pieces $25 to $35
• Medium pieces $35 to $50
• Large pieses $50 t0 $100

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @pvsea_creations
• Facebook: PVSea Creations

Image Credits
Ken Leach