I have always been intrigued by anything transformed by fire.
While in college, I dabbled at metalsmithing. After graduating in 1992, I pursued my passion of blacksmith and metal smith work full time.
I'm totally self taught, learning from books and from experimentation. By trial and error I developed my skills and built machines to help me. Besides my anvil, one of my most used tools is a computer controlled cutter I built myself. With this, I can design shapes on my computer which can then be cut in large scale out of plates of steel. After that, I put my metalsmithing skills to work and bend, twist, and weld together the finished sculptures. The whole process is intuitive and rhythmic and the works take on organic forms of their own. It is great joy to bring life to steel.
Being rooted in the blacksmithing tradition, I use my hammer and anvil daily. I also use modern machinery to build large scale projects. My tools and techniques enable me to produce a wide range of work from abstract polygons to larger than life birds. Preferring to work in monumental scale, I also enjoy creating small scale projects. Drawing from nature and intuitive lines to inspire my work, much of my sculpture is abstract. Sculpting animals, especially birds and horses is rewarding as the animal’s expression or impression of movement are captured and evoked.
I’ve worked extensively with designers and builders producing commissioned, site specific work. I’m experienced in making furniture and functional sculpture and I specialize in exterior monumental sculpture of steel and stainless steel.