For 25 years, Ries Niemi has been working mostly with metal, welding, fabricating, machining, forging, and shaping metal in just about every way. He has been involved with public art since the late 1970's, completing over 25 projects across the US.

For many years, Ries also made a line of furniture sold around the country under the name "Manmade" and has been creating, showing, and selling his personal, quirky and humorous artwork in galleries and museums for 3 decades.

Ries lives and works in Edison, Washington, on 26 acres he shares with his wife, artist Sheila Klein, his two children, Rebar and Torque, and a large assortment of wild animals, machinery and skilled assistants.