Butterflies have long been considered a symbol of transformation, endurance, hope, and life. The symbolism associated with butterflies made working on this piece a joy.
Cousin Mark wanted a tabletop butterfly sculpture for his wife who adores butterflies. Aside from those parameters, I was given carte blanche when designing the piece. The client wanted a wall piece which evoked flowing water. In initial discussions, words she used were ‘ripple,’ ‘wave,’ and ‘undulate.’ Specifically, she wanted the water to flow from top left to bottom right.
To execute the client’s vision, I decided upon three forged shapes, to be produced in multiples. When combined in a variety of ways with each other, they indicate a directional flow. These delightful clients wanted to spruce up the lighting by their front door. They liked the clean lines of a fixture I’d made and contacted me via e-mail.
The clients hail from Maryland and found me via a Google search. She typed in something like "light fixture by a door -- one side." A link appeared to my website, where I mused about a custom lighting piece I’d designed. The client had two words for what she wanted: “oceany” and “plant.” With those two words as my directive, I designed, executed, and installed a suite of bath fixtures as part of a client’s home renovation. I also created a unique paper towel holder for the kitchen (which you can read about HERE).
I forged steel bar and pipe into grassy stems, anemones, seaweed, and kelp using my 25-lb. Little Giant power hammer and two different sets of dies (drawing dies and art dies). This commissioned paper towel holder is nature’s form turned into whimsical function at its finest. An anemone holds the paper towel roll in place. A strategically positioned coral arm serves as de facto ‘backstop’ for tearing off a paper towel.
I was asked to make this common kitchen fixture as part of a client's home renovation. I thoroughly enjoyed turning a common kitchen fixture into a featured item. (I also created a suite of bath fixtures for this client which you can read about HERE). I forged steel bar and pipe using my 25-lb. Little Giant power hammer and two different sets of dies (drawing dies and art dies). The base is torch-cut 1/2" steel plate. I used my usual method of sealing with a clear lacquer after cleaning the metal with a wire wheel. I made this panel from scrap metal in my inventory. This screen serves as eye candy and as a nod of courtesy to neighbors and visitors so that, when rounding the corner to my house, the first thing they see isn't my scrap bin and metal supply. I like to keep an inventory of various steel sizes and types, but it’s not always the most attractive site (although I do try to keep the area tidy...).
The screen is intentionally two-sided so that it looks as good from the ‘back side’ as it does from the street (see the third photo). This ‘Scrap Screen’ panel measures 5’ tall x 8’ long x 1.5” deep. Jenny wanted a mail holder, not unlike my ‘armadillo mail holder’. Except she didn’t want an armadillo.
So I pulled an exoskeleton from my scrap pile of previously-started-then-aborted projects -- in this case, an attempt at a pea pod using my tack-and-bend technique. This sign is located in a residential neighborhood. The homeowners have listed the house on HomeAway and wanted a sign letting guests know they'd arrived at their destination.
‘The Lake House’ is the description of the house as it is listed on Homeaway. The arrow pointing to the left indicates the lot in which the guests should park. Tommie Carol commissioned me to make a floor lamp base for a stained glass globe her brother had made for her. Originally designed as a hanging fixture, Tommie Carol preferred that the globe be featured in a floor lamp.
To keep the glass globe as the central focus, I struck upon a simple design with a forged element to accent the globe. My brother-in-law, Dean, has worked with mink his entire career as a mink food formulator. HIs wife, Debbie, wanted to honor his retirement with a sculpture of a mink.
The image Debbie had in mind for the sculpture was based on past experience at a northern Minnesota lake. As described in an e-mail, “We were quietly canoeing one morning, following the shoreline about 30 feet out. |
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