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This fireplace screen nestles perfectly in its fireplace nook, inviting guests to fall under its spell...
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Drift is a sculpture in my Flow sculpture series which explores movement caused by wind or water.
Bursting forth from a punched plate, Drift’s three steel wisps have been tapered and slit-and-drifted using traditional blacksmithing techniques. The negative space revealed in Drift has been carefully considered and is as integral a part of the sculpture as its physical elements. Three punched-and-drifted steel tapers, punched steel plate, torched wood posts... Dimensions are 61” tall x 34” wide x 8” deep. This sculpture series is underway... To read more about the maquette on which one of these sculptures is based, click the picture below:  Leafing through a woodworking magazine, a wood tabletop with forged legs caught my client’s attention. He wanted to emulate this table. He would make the tabletop, and I would make the legs.
These table legs were originally designed by California-based blacksmith Daniel Dole. Although the table leg design was already established, there were still issues to be addressed for this particular project. I enjoyed making this Ukrainian trident -- also known as a tryzub -- for a friend.
Working from an outline drawing of a very traditional tryzub, I tweaked the trident’s overall shape by softening the sharp edges. The shape 'flows' more, yet it's still recognizable as the state emblem of Ukraine. I was recently commissioned to create original artwork in rooms which practically all conference attendees at a downtown Austin hotel will visit.
The artful objects: trash cans. The location: the conference room bathrooms. Yes, bathrooms! Azul, the rooftop pool bar at the Westin Austin Downtown, offers a 20th-floor view of the Austin skyline facing Lady Bird Lake.
Now incorporated into that view is a sleek steel-and-granite table which I’m pleased to have designed and installed. Incorporating beauty into everyday life is a lofty goal of mine. So when I found an absolutely gorgeous granite remnant, the challenge was on.
And that’s how a 12”-wide piece of stone -- a mere sliver -- was made into a functional coffee table. This mobile hostess stand was crafted for Stella San Jac restaurant, located at the corner of San Jacinto and East 5th in Austin, TX.
Stella San Jac is the lobby restaurant at The Westin Austin Downtown. A forged ‘S’ representing the Stella log -- along with a plant pocket complimenting a succulent wall in the hotel lobby -- clearly identifies the hostess stand with the restaurant. Tom, my client, wanted a metal and glass coffee table.
We discussed shapes, dimensions, glass thickness, and overall look. I showed my sketches to several members of a local artist-blacksmith group, including Dana Flanders. Based upon valuable feedback, I refined the bracing and connections for stability. Collaboration was an essential component in this project. Admittedly, I’d designed a complex piece incorporating traditional joinery (rivets and tenons) and multiple curves. |
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Copyright 2018 Laura Armstrong. All rights reserved.
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