Artist Statement

I was asked as part of the course to write an artist statement.

Here is what i came up with, i think it might be changed and tuned up a little.

As an artist what really drives me is the movement and flow of steel. Steel is by far the craziest, most unpredictable material there is. I find myself obsessively trying to move the material in a crazier and faster way, some of which is successful and others are less so. My obsession as i call it has lead me straight to power hammers and i fell in love. With a power hammer i can move steel larger than myself faster than i ever thought possible. Most aspects of my work involve the power hammer. How the pure brutal force of a power hammer shifts a solid bar like it is water is what i strive to get across with my work. Coming from a much more traditional blacksmithing background I feel almost obliged to use these interesting pieces in a more functional fashion than using them as pure decorative. It is much more appealing to me if they end up as a leg of table or a door knocker than a paper weight.     

22nd of May

Hey guys figured i would get a post up about how things are going.

The tables are almost built, i am just doing the fiddly bits which need to be done outside the forge. I am going to hopefully have both tables finish and made up by the weekend.

The website is well in hand. Got my old blog back up and running for my website. Pretty proud of it because it has over 3 years of my journey of blacksmithing on there.

My portfolio is kinda my lowest bit. I still need to buy a folder and start getting photos together. I have a few that are ready to go in but i need to sort out in least six more.

As for the sculptures they are going well. Had a great breakthrough yesterday.

These little samples worked so well i wanted to do something with them. I am thinking maybe i squish stuff on this level because these were a lot more moveable under the hammer.

I will try and check in over the weekend tell you guys how things are coming together.

14th of May

Hey guys. I have made a few big leaps and bounds this last week towards the sculpture piece i will be making to go alongside my tables. By the way on the table front, every piece is made just needs assembling and finished. All in hand and very much on a side burner cooking nicely.

But back to the sculpture, I am a man for very much doing stuff rather than thinking. So come Friday i figured i would just build a sample and see what it looks like. This what i came up with. 

This is the piece that i came up with. I think its a pretty nice piece showing off exactly what i wanted it too, it has some pressure. Some tension and some really nice fucking squishes. It needs a little refinement and some playing but all that is some sketchbook work. I am thinking a little time playing with ideas i can nail this one.

That's all folks
 

6th of May

Hey guys. It has been a while since i posted here because i have been between vacations and sketchbook work. Thought to myself that i might as well get a good post up here about where im going with the last 5 weeks of my university life.

I want to finish off the last 4 legs for the second table which should only take up this week maybe run over a little into next week. I will have 2 weeks left to really bang out something i want to make.

I thought about it over the holiday and i want to do a sculpture. I have never really done sculptures because i am more of a function guy than form but for this last one i really want to break the mold and go right outside my zone so to speak. I want to look at what i really love inside these squishes not just make them into a table or candle holder. 

I have done a few sketches and there all looking kinda different but they all have a theme. Squished under a power hammer to some description and stacked. I love squishing things as everyone has been told a hundred times over. I also love stacking things up, there is a little order to it there is a little pressure. What's not to like about it?

Over the rest of the day i am going to put up a few off my ideas and talk about them. Got two weeks to get it sorted before forge mad weeks. CAN'T WAIT