February 17, 201115 yr Well, the leaf bowl is my fav so far. Really nice work!! The creative aspect of blacksmithing is the part I struggle the most with. I can do the mechanics, but I tend to "copy" someone elses creative inpiration. Any suggestions out there on getting that creative spark going?
February 18, 201115 yr fire farm - here are some suggestions if your serious - start to write a daily journal and just write whatever comes to your head - you might be surprised what comes out in terms of images and ideas - like a stream of conciousness excercise. point is to get yr sub concious into action (your concious mind might be in the habit of telling you you ae not creative?)- dont worry what you write even if its just 'this is so stupid' - if you do it for enough days (hopefully weeks - just 10 - 15 mins daily) then youll get bored of writing that and something that will interest you will happen:) also collect images of other peoples work that you like and have them up somewhere - also collect images that you just for any reason like not metal work, - magazine cuttings, drawings bits of writing doodles poems song lyrics colors fabric interiors anything - stuff off the floor! put them up somwhere where you can see them. get some modelling wax or plasticine or paper/cardboard and just mess about with it and make some shapes you like dont worry if they re rubbish just keep doing it. dont worry that its not metal - what you make in those materials you can make in metal... do some drawings in a sketch book or even on back of envelopes - dont worry if they are rubbish just keep doing them there is a massive misconception that artists inspiration just comes down from the heavens, in fact it is the opposite it comes up from yourself, but you got to just get on and do something - anything, and then your original ideas will start to emerge. everyone has images and ideas that please them and also do not be intimidated and do not tell yourself your not creative - it is my beleif that we absolutely all are. :)
February 18, 201115 yr Good stuff there Beth!!! Have you read the "Artists way" As spiritual path to higher creativity? She recommends the same approach... Firefarm- When I was in art school working as a TA, I would lead a seminar on unlocking creativity. As the facilitator, I would get everyone (about 10 people) sitting around a huge table talking about whatever. This would help in "distracting" the critical brain. We used Plastilina Clay and would work in 5 to 10 minute intervals for about an hour or more. The object of the lesson was to learn to let your mind wonder into the form of the clay. Let you fingers do whatever they wanted. Then we would recycle (destroy) and start over after the 5 or 10 minutes were up. The out come was 2 fold, 1) one lost the sense that everything created was precious and 2), having a deadline removed the need for "perfection". Some amazing work and insights came out of those lessons. Hope this helps....
February 18, 201115 yr Taking bowls as an example,just go out and look at different vessels. Places to start;Museums both art and history,ceramics,glasswork,woodturning,kitchen ware(otherwise known as treen if it`s wooden),religious artifacts.etc.Collect pics of the ones you like and then study them to distill what about the piece draws you to it.Look at things as both positive(the piece itself) and negative space(the space surrounding the piece).Take the pic and turn it upside down.Still like it?If not why not(balance). Another good book is "Centering,in pottery,poetry and the person" by M C Richards.Stephen Hogbin`s "Apperance and Reality" is another excellent design book you may find useful. David Pye`s book "The nature and art of workmanship" defines the difference between art and craft in relation to "The workmanship of certainty vs the workmanship of risk".More about technique,approach and philosophy than the actual pieces or design but inspiring just the same.
February 18, 201115 yr fe wood - yeah i have read her book! - its so good- have bought it for so many friends!!! and i found the morning pages totally a profound experience! she talks a lot about the negative stuff we tell ourselves about our creativity (can be applied to any area of life actually) and our work and it really helped me to challenge all that rubbish you carry about with you from way back - little things people might have said that damage your confidence- i thoroughly recommend the book to anyone who is serious about the artistic side of their work - its BRILL. your lessons sound cool too fe - its amazing how our only real limitations are ourselves - and such a relief to get rid of some of that and start to access the images and thoughts that are unique to you. good advice Bob - you just got to start using your eyes and noticing stuff havent you, then you start noticing what you like and you dont like and how the stuff you like might be done, and how you would do it yourself. you just got to take come action i reckon and once you do, you start such a ball rolling !:)
February 18, 201115 yr Rory, Great work on the vessels. Some gallery will pick them up, the work is too good not too. As the economy improves I think they will sell without any problems.
February 18, 201115 yr Beth, Bob, Fe-Wood, thanks for the input. I am indeed serious about it! I will take the suggestions to heart and get going on it. Rory, my apologies, I did not intend on hijacking the thread! Perhaps I'll start a new thread. Your work is truly inspirational to me, and I plan on printing some pictures (with your permission) to start implementing what some of the others have suggested about journaling and surrounding myself with images that I like. Thanks again! Dave
February 19, 201115 yr Author Some really good stuff here! I like these kind of discussions. Helps break the ice and create rather than silent observing and mumbling. Feel free to print any of my pics, its why I post them. Never the less, hopefully I can contribute back to the community that has always been inspiring to me. So far I have only caught one guy taking my pics and calling them his own, that was an awkward conversation. Unfortunately my process isn't anything spiritual, mathematical or voodoo. These are little breaks between the custom architectural projects going on in the studio of Dragon Forge LTD. Usually it starts with a thought of a "what if..." What if I took 5" pipe and squished it the hard way? Could I control it enough to get it to move how I want it to move? Will it let me? Then I go try. More often than enough the steel develops a flaw and/or goes in a direction I didn't either anticipate or change direction due to my part in one form of a rough technique, not have enough heat, or even to hot, etc. Most of all I follow through and finish, which is really important. I used to have half finished little projects laying around and think that is more frustrating than nothing at all. So whatever it is, just finish it. If the project teaches you a lesson, it was worth it. Even if the final result isn't what you thought it was, just finish. My personal struggle is working my 8-10hr day then staying late to work another 4 on my own stuff. My two favorite things, eating and sleeping, typically get in the way of what I am trying to do. The other half of this is being part of the little gallery. I have the opportunity to talk to people and get immediate feedback. This feedback in an uneducated perception of the craft and a very clean "consumer" view. I can only tell them what a challenge something was to make, yet until they actually see it they don't understand. Most are willing and have no problem telling me if they don't like it, and more importantly the why. The aspen leaves are always popular. I just combined two concepts and am lucky that it responded well with the feedback. To also respond to the tight wallets lately, I try to make things as fast as I can and keep it affordable so it is appealing. Then there is the side of being requested to make something. Like the cigar bowls. I modeled mine after 1960's glass ones. Seeing that glass work and trying to make metal behave the same. The first one I made looked like a cabbage gone bad. But it had its lesson. The techniques you guys wrote about are awesome. Some good insight and feedback. And the latest bowl: "Lucy" Latest bowl made from cutoff ends of sqaure/round bar. Forged flat to 7 1/4″ x 6″ x 1 1/2″ +/- tall weighs in at 2 lbs. This was also etched in acid to help give some relief to the scale on it from forging. Clear Lacquer finish.
March 11, 201115 yr Author THanks again Latest one Im working on. before I squished it after I squished it. I let the welds tear and put a little piece of copper behind it and suck it in the cracks.
March 11, 201115 yr THanks again Latest one Im working on. before I squished it after I squished it. I let the welds tear and put a little piece of copper behind it and suck it in the cracks. On this last one I might be tempted to flow bronze braze into the cracks from the inside and then sand and buff the interior to contrast the rough/forged exterior.Give it the material(exterior) vs skill (interior) thing. Don`t know if you`d want to spend that much time,just a thought.
March 15, 201115 yr Author Thats an idea! I havent decided yet but am keeping that in mind. did another aspen leaf bowl Thanks for reading!
March 15, 201115 yr that s nice reminds me of the face of a green man - you knwo those guys with leaves practicallly covering their faces just bits of nose and eyes showing. maybe its just me though! :)
April 1, 201115 yr Author oh yeah, I know who you are talking about, Beth. Here is the latest one. I went over the multiple thing I could have done and just got tired of it getting moved around on the table. Little copper piece that is riveted with a plate. Rivets also act as feet. Thanks!
April 1, 201115 yr Cool Rory, Looks like you found a good use for griprail drop, or was it made special ?...............mb
April 5, 201115 yr Author I think so too! Some people remark that it looks like leather. A more simple, small bowl. Guy is only 4"
April 5, 201115 yr Those look like decent cigars, please save me one, oh and take the wood wrapper off before you smoke it....................:D
April 9, 201115 yr oh yeah, I know who you are talking about, Beth. Here is the latest one. I went over the multiple thing I could have done and just got tired of it getting moved around on the table. Little copper piece that is riveted with a plate. Rivets also act as feet. Thanks! I really Like the way you got that Copper coming through the center on this bowl! Good stuff you got going on there Rory!
April 26, 201115 yr Author Latest 2. I played around with a tentacle idea. Though I know I need to study it more but I think the concept is fun to have something that looks like it is inside the bowl. This one I put in the acid bucket for a couple of days. Found out we have a TON of copper in there...so I got this gift of a copper patina after I cleaned it up. Thanks!
May 3, 201115 yr Author lol yeah a claw would be cool! Better pics of the copper patina bowl. The client didn't like it and wanted it black Same bowl but black. Its more like a plate or a dish than a bowl. None the less got some money for it. Same copper patina from the acid bath. Added some metal paint inside. Got some really cool colors out of this one. Just a clear lacquer on the outside. Though its not a bowl, But I did forge some aspen leaves for the show at a little gallery Im part of.
May 23, 201115 yr Rory, if you don't light your cigars or finish your whiskey.......You'll never amount to anything.......:lol:
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