How did you become interested in metalworking?
During my teenage years my creativity was expressed through music and poetry. At the age of 18 I stumbled into welding as a career. I worked in a crane fabrication, repair and general maintenance shop I was fortunate enough to use the resources of the shops I worked in to produce ornamental steel side projects and explore my vision of beauty within the medium. It was the beginning of a lifelong journey.
What do you enjoy most about the business?
I get to experience the full creative process. In this modern age of production, a welder seldom makes any decisions. You are given parts and blueprints. You assemble and weld the parts in their prescribed locations according to the instructions given by the drafting technician and engineer. The creative process is divided. My business model, and philosophy, allows the individual to create, design and produce the finished piece. It is my belief that involvement from start to finish facilitates both growth as an artisan and self-fulfillment necessary for a person’s happiness.
What inspires your designs?
I believe there is a beauty in form and function. Meaning there is an aesthetic to an object that performs its purpose well. You don’t need to be an engineer that has studied wind resistance to appreciate the body shape of a Porsche. I don’t fish, but I am certain I could tell the difference between a high-quality fishing rod and a cheap one by a simple appreciation of the craftsmanship poured into the item. Now, somehow, I believe, somewhere we have lost our way. From lampposts and skyscrapers to shelving and desks, the production of the thing has left no place for ornament, except as an afterthought. We plaster al fresco on a grand entrance of a building instead of chiseling it into the stone in the first place. We use a nail gun to affix some plastic ivy to our pine buffet. I am inspired to produce ornament within the design itself, wherever possible or warranted. I won’t put a daisy on your workbench.
What do you hope to give your customers?
I hope to provide an aesthetically pleasing custom solution to their problems within a reasonable budget. Mass production has forced us to settle for option A or option B, period. You have to choose between a table that is a bit too big or a table that is a bit too small. You only have these two options because the table size is dictated on the optimization of space in a cargo container instead of the optimization of space in your dining room. I adapt my pieces and designs into what fits you. Have an idea? I’ve spent an entire career making other people’s ideas work – I’d like to hear yours.
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