The Forge
For me there is a physical and mental curiosity about metal. A material, when molten it is a liquid, when cooled it is a solid, and when I tend to work on it when it lies between those two extremes as a flexible material. At it’s hot, orange, and malleable stage, it reflects the pliable nature of clay, having the ability to mold and shape it into desired forms but with a structural strength when cooled. The forging of hot metal can create both hard edge forms and soft curves within the same element. Pressing, hammering, shaping, bending and manipulating both surface and mass is the crucial structure of my sculpture and architectural work.
The History
As an artist I understand it is important to have a knowledge of the craft and material you choose to work with. This process not only allows me direct control of the sculpture I make, but also allows me to draw on a historical context of the processes relative to the craft of Blacksmithing. In creating sculpture in this manner it allows me to connect with both the past and the present with each new piece I create. Standing before the forge, to the side of a hundred year old anvil used by Masters before me, holding a hammer I made in my hand, I reflect on the past, create in the present, forge out the future.
Drawing and Photography
Both are two dimensional forms of image making, recording, and documenting. Drawing and photography come before forge work, they have always been there as a process to help me define where I have been and open doors for where I am going. For the past 20 years, I have photographed the nude, made portraits, documented works through process as well as finished objects. To me, photography is much like drawing, it is a creative process to develop a new idea. In drawing, you explore the unknown to focus on the idea. They are both a tool in this uncharted journey.
