Artist Statement
In 1973, as a Fine Arts Major in college, I selected a jewelry design and silversmith class as an elective studio course. The direct metalworking techniques of hammer and anvil, particularly raising sheet metal into hollowware vessels and forging iron, were of interest to me. Over 30 years later, I am still working at the anvil, with hammer in hand, still a student learning. The privilege of collaborating with other artists has allowed different media, such as, mosaic, paint, glass, stone and wood, to be combined with forged metal. I am inspired by nature, liquid and organic forms, as well as art nouveau and art deco. Good design and good use of materials go hand in hand.
Forging is the most "hands-on" of metalworking techniques. I consider forging the purest form of "direct" metal sculpture. Physically demanding, spiritual, primitive - forging allows the artist to experience an immediate and intense intimacy working with metal. In the past thirty years, as a blacksmith artist, I have worked primarily with iron. Works done at my forge are mostly commissioned functional pieces.
Blacksmiths throughout time and across cultures have used the same basic forging techniques to express spiritual connections to the divine. I feel blessed to be a part of this process. While creating liturgical pieces, I have come to realize that most religions have a need to produce images and objects to communicate distinct social and religious beliefs.
Often in religious metalwork, more meticulous processes result in a more influential presence. Of special interest to me is the work of African blacksmiths. Their wonderfully hand-forged metal objects, complex in iconography and full of "nyama" (spirit), cause the artist to become more invested in the metal with each hammer blow. As a student of these artists, I attempt to create the same meaningful closeness with each of my projects.
| Educational Background | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Master of Fine Arts | Bachelor of Fine Arts | Additional Education | |
| School | Eastern Michigan University | Western Michigan University | Mott Community College |
| Major | Metalsmithing, Blacksmithing | Metalsmithing, Jewelry Design | Metalsmithing, Jewelry Design |
| Minor | Sculpture | Art History | |
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