Artist’s Statement

The work you see here are commissions with the exception of the candlesticks. The bulk of my work is by commission. I find that I do some of my best work when I have been asked to add a detail, fill an empty space, or complete a vision that started with a client’s desire. I come to the world of art from this back door. My work over the years has been mostly in the form of craft. This has given me a chance to explore many different materials and mediums in working with my clientele.  Whether it was building and repairing boats in wood, fiberglass and metal, high end residential casework, or most recently, forged architectural metal work I have always used my own sense of aesthetics and my clients’ tastes to bring about an artistic and pleasing solution to any commissions I am given.

Metal work has always held a strong fascination for me. In the marine industry I had become an accomplished welder and fabricator in both stainless steel and aluminum. I began studying blacksmithing 8 years ago. At the time I had no idea of the use of forged metal work in the area of fine art. I have since learned that forging has a long and rich history of both art and craft.

I am drawn to forge work to express my artistic side because it allows me to use so many of the myriad skills I have acquired over the years in a process that really is both very complex in it’s execution and rather basic in it’s tooling requirements. I am drawn to the simple idea of working with a medium as tough and heavy as steel is and with the addition of heat makes it possible to work it like wet clay. The necessity of speed in the working of the metal at it’s optimal working temperature and in planning the sequence operations necessary for the desired result makes for a rich dynamic process that is hard for me to resist. It combines all my love of welding and fabricating into a process that makes more use of the simplicity of eye and hand in direct collaboration with the hammer, anvil and fire.