I remember when I started writing these monthly newsletters I was enjoying the start of the spring sun. That summer went by very quickly, but I’m not complaining, I’m a well known fan of a “warm autumnal”. The end of the year is drawing closer, which is typically my busiest time as a lot of the work I do makes for a great gift. During October, I’ve been making the most of the breathing room before the festive rush to indulge in a little sculptural work. Experimenting with forms and shapes that I wouldn’t normally be doing as part of the main stock. I’ve even sold some pure sculpture work, which I was thrilled by (there may have been a small dance, I was very excited)
Project Showcase: Fire Spirits
A very fitting piece of work, given that I’m writing this newsletter on Halloween. For a commission a few months ago I made a BBQ fork as part of a cookware set, and as I was making it I was struck with the idea that the tines of the fork looked very much like the horns of a little demon guy. That idea has been swaying back and forth in my mind since and I have been developing a design of fire spirits, or flame sprites. Friendly little beings, born from the fire of the forge. They’re forged from some nice heavy bar with a split tendril of flame from the top of their curious heads. Notably to everyone who holds them in person, they all also seem to have cute little bellies. This is definitely an idea I’m going to continue to work on and develop, with the possibility being bandied around that they could make for a very charming chess set.
Project Showcase: Calla Lilies and Hummingbirds
This month I have begun on a collection of flower and bird sculpture (I’ve done two, it’s officially a collection now). Focusing on Calla Lilies as a sculptural flower, as I work with traditional techniques and do not include modern electric welding, it was very fulfilling to work on flower pieces that could be forged from one solid piece of steel. The Calla Lily itself is forged down from a 25mm x 5mm flat bar and wrapped into it’s iconic shape by eye over the horn of the anvil. The forged stem is then tenoned into the mounting plate. As well as being my wonderful wife’s favourite flower, I also chose it because the wrapped flower head gave a perfect perch for a forged hummingbird. Also forged from one single piece of steel without fixings, the hummingbird was split and forged out into a cross shape, a very traditional blacksmithing technique which is usually done to expose a split in the center of the cross. Rather than including the central split, my birds have been under-split to give more steel to shape the body and the joints of the wings. Together, the birds and the lilies make a very attractive display I think.