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Up Topic Chit-Chat & Non-Welding Discussion / Off-Topic Bar and Grill / Promised photos of work
- - By rebekah (**) Date 07-30-2007 16:33 Edited 07-30-2007 16:41
Hey yall

It's been awhile since Ive been on and great to see that everyone is still ranting about the important stuff.  On a lighter note, here are the art pics I said I would post awhile back.  This is what I did for a living for years--artistic blacksmithing--though working for others it was mainly gates, railings, and large furniture.  On my own I do more fine craft pieces.

The first piece is a representation of a crystal that forms in young plant leaves.  The crystals occur by the hundreds at the cellular level and make the young leaf less appetizing to browsers--basically cuts up the mouth.  This particular shape is from a grape leaf.  It is called Raphide, the name of the crystal.  That's copper inside.  Galvanic reactions be damned!  1/4 steel rod individually forged and tapered, the hinge I end drilled on a lathe and used bronze rod inserts for easy opening.

The two pieces together are wall pieces called Medallion.  That's fused copper and forged steel.  I scored a spool of 1/8 copper wire at a salvage yard and used it to fuse the copper sections.

The last is a Shepherd's Crook Table with octagonal legs forged from round bar and then tapered.  Copper details again--that particular one is from a ground bar. 

That's it. Hope you like. 

Rebekah
Parent - - By jon20013 (*****) Date 07-30-2007 16:45
Very, very cool stuff!!!!  Leaves this person eager to see more picture postings!!!!
Parent - By Lawrence (*****) Date 07-30-2007 18:12
More!!!!!!!!

I love copper to brass, to steel, weavings, spirals and braids
Parent - By jwright650 (*****) Date 07-30-2007 19:32
Very nice work indeed!
Parent - - By RonG (****) Date 07-30-2007 20:00
Fantastic work, show us more. The first one "Raphide", How big is it?
Parent - By rebekah (**) Date 07-31-2007 15:39
It is 6' diameter by about 18' long.  It's funny how people not used to steel are always shocked at how heavy something can be!
Parent - By makeithot (***) Date 07-30-2007 20:28
Outstanding!!!!!!!!
Parent - - By gndchuck (**) Date 07-30-2007 22:52
Outstanding work.....keep it up....just hope that my wife doesn't see these, she might want some of them
Parent - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 07-31-2007 04:28
Great work.
Parent - - By billvanderhoof (****) Date 07-31-2007 05:29
Nice-  Bill
Parent - - By Tommyjoking (****) Date 07-31-2007 08:19
BEAUTIFULL!!!!!!

I hope when I "retire" (yea right)  I could try my hand at some bronze, brass, copper and wrought iron pieces....mostly decrotive furniture is what I would like to do.   Very imppressive work...I am sure it fetches a fine price as well!! Please post more work as you can.

Best Regards
Tommy
Parent - - By rebekah (**) Date 07-31-2007 15:45
Thanks to everyone.  I am working on getting gallery representation.  I havent sold a piece since I was in Israel six years ago.  I would love to eventually change gears and make more of this stuff than work full time for someone else.  Right now I make something like one or two a year.  People find it hard to pay for the time.  That raphide piece took about 30 hours and at a normal rate of pay...just a bit out of reach for alot of folk. 
Appreciate the input. 
If you like this kind of work, ABANA (Artist Blacksmith Association of North America) has a great magazine called Anvil's Ring that has wonderful articles and images.  Also Craft and Niche magazines.  It is a welcome break for my eyes after looking at rigid geometric frames made to withstand ocean pressure to look at colors and curves and cool (some might say useless) designs.

Rebekah
Parent - By RonG (****) Date 07-31-2007 18:46
Like they say "Nature abhors a straight line".

Keep it up and you will become "In demand" then you can name your own price.
Parent - By ssbn727 (*****) Date 08-01-2007 01:22 Edited 08-01-2007 01:40
Hi Rebekah!

Attached are some pics of some of my own works when I was "dabbling" around with my own artistic impulses during the early nineties before I fell ill, and had to sell all my equipment, and give up my studio in the East Village of NYC. I've got more pics but, I've got to scan them and post them later :)

One day soon, I'm going to open up another studio here in SW PA where I can once again explore my own creative ambitions...

Btw, excellent work!!! :) I like the flow of the lines, and attention to detail... Very clean and fresh!!! :) ;) :)
NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR CREATIVITY!!!

Respectfully,
Henry

P.S. Man am I glad I do'nt smoke anymore!!! :) :) :)
Parent - By Sourdough (****) Date 08-01-2007 02:47
rebekah,

I did real well at Westfest in Snowmass Village last time I was there. I sold a steel aspen tree, and a pair of moose antlers with the buttons carved into eagle heads.

I walked out of there with 12 grand in my pocket. By the looks of that table, you should come out this way, or consign in this area......people have an eye for detail out here and dont mind paying for quality blacksmithing.
Parent - - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 08-02-2007 04:10
Rebekah, did You happen to meet with Uri Hofi while You were in Israel?
Parent - - By rebekah (**) Date 09-05-2007 14:10 Edited 09-05-2007 16:04
Absolutely,

Before I went I heard about Hofi from my teacher Bill Bastas.  While I was there I was working for a Japanese smith named Nobuya Yamaguchi who demonstrated at ABANA 2000 in Flagstaff.  I dont think Uri was in Flagstaff that time but I met Nobuya and another Uri that knew him from Israel.  Everyone in Israel that does blacksmithing is associated with Uri and we bought coke from him--the black kind.  My boyfriend at the time was apprenticing with Uri and I took Uri's weeklong class.  I was basically there every weekend for three months.  The shop fellows were great guys.  I had a show with the only woman blacksmith in Israel, at the time, also a student of Uri's, who was running her own shop.  I still email him occaisionaly.  He is a great guy.  I watched him and Haberman argue in the Czech Republic at Helfstyn, they have a feud over who invented the hammer.  Who the hell owns a hammer, it isnt like you can patent the natural evolution...Anyways, yep, I met him.  He was in texas a few years back to demonstrate for a local ABANA group and I went and he embarrassed the heck out of me.  You might not tell from my posts, but I can be shy!
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 09-06-2007 20:54
That is one area I have absolutely no sense for, art.

My idea of "pretty" is ugly to my wife and kids. I liked Calder, my wife thought they looked like piles of scrap metal!

Nature does seem to have a natural talent for beauty. I could look at photo of crystaline structures for hours. Some of the photomicrographs they publish in ASM are truly amazing.

You seem to have a talent that should be nurtured.

Best regards - Al
Parent - - By swnorris (****) Date 09-06-2007 21:27
Speaking of pretty, my wife told me that we couldn't afford to buy beer anymore and that I would have to quit.  Then I caught her spending $65.00 for make up. I asked her why I had to give up stuff and she didn't.  She said she needed the make up to look pretty for me.  I told her that was what the beer was for.
Parent - By Lawrence (*****) Date 09-06-2007 23:14
It was nice knowin ya  :)
Up Topic Chit-Chat & Non-Welding Discussion / Off-Topic Bar and Grill / Promised photos of work

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