Craft Statement
As a blacksmith artist, I search for ways to express contemporary ideas and aesthetics using ancient techniques. Through the combination of the art of blacksmithing and modern aesthetics I create unique items that are functional yet sculptural as well as purely artistic objects.
I see my job as two sided. As a blacksmith I follow a
specific, logic and efficient order of operations, producing beautiful
hand wrought products. As an artist, I follow my guts, winding my way
from an idea through trials and tribulations, decisions and
inspirations to the final product; one that is beautiful, thoughtfully
created, and uniquely handmade. My work is based on what the material
presents me, its history originating as a rock, in ore form; its uses
in industry, and the world around me, both natural and social. It is
important for me to stress the precision, skill, and magic that is
blacksmithing, the metallurgy and techniques are so inspirational and
determine my process. As an artist, I find visual inspiration from
gardening, and the garden, its forms in flowers and vegetables, the soil
and rocks, the trees and sticks with their knots and the processes of
tilling, growing, death, planning and follow through makes up a living
garden. I try to balance my inspiration and interest in natural forms
and preindustrial technologies with contemporary social context in each
piece.
Throughout history blacksmiths have been the backbones of communities, making and fixing tools, utensils, farm implements, and many more items. Since the industrial revolution, blacksmiths have made themselves obsolete by developing new tooling and technologies such as machining and welding which are more common metalworking techniques used today. As a blacksmith I make many of my own tools and know how to make many tools for other crafts. I am very interested in sustainability and low impact craftsmanship; whenever possible; finding my materials and developing more sustainable techniques and options for making work. I use recycled materials as much as possible and design my tooling based on what I have access to locally. Acknowledging that my ideals and my process are contradictory is a source of concern for me. I am in the process of switching to using charcoal as a fuel but I still will use propane. Living and working in New Orleans, where everything seems to fit into its environment so specifically, provides endless inspiration for me. From the abandoned wharves, dilapidated and overgrown, and now demolished, to the beautiful uptown houses, everything is touched by its site specificity. This city and its components could be nowhere else.