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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.
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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. Guitar pick garlands from ‘Succulent Tree’ were repurposed in this wall hanging, providing color and depth to a previously bland space.
'Succulent Tree' was a 5-tiered feast of succulents, twinkle lights, mosses, and guitar pick garland!
As the Westin’s official holiday tree for 2016, 'Succulent Tree' was on view through the month of December 2016. The story behind this commission is heart-warming...
A devoted husband wanted to surprise his wife with a custom-made gift for their 6th wedding anniversary. The year # 6 traditional wedding gift is IRON, so he set out looking for a gift in that medium... |
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