~blacksmithy84

Graduation

Recently I graduated from college with my Bachelors degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Digital Media! It has not fully sunk in yet and I suspect it will not until Aug. when I continue working instead of going back to school for that much needed summer break! I have decided to take a year off of school to work on a portfolio worthy enough for grad school, and currently I am working on getting published in a book that is soon to be revealed! Other than that I am currently looking for commissions and have been working heavily in angle raising (aluminum forms) and Damascus steel. If anyone is interested in work please feel free in inquire, I offer a large variety of services, including jewelry, wall pieces, sculpture, and some photography! If anyone is interested I offer competitive rates for my work all of which is signed and numbered! Jewelry can be made from sterling silver, nickel silver, or even Damascus steel! I also offer some chainmail services; some projects depending on their scale do warrant some money upfront to cover material costs (i.e. jewelry projects that demand more than 3oz of silver, large scale sculpture...etc) Thank you and everyone keep up the great work!

Up and Comming

Today I spent the last of my few remaining days at home, in my shop...In two days I drive back down to school for my last remaining year as an undergrad! On the note I am currently working on getting into Grad School for either my MFA or MAE; as a result I am currently working on a 30 slide portfolio! Today I worked on a piece that I will bring up to school to finish, for all of those interested in the scoliosis piece I cast, there is much more to come! (And the scale will be much larger) In order to fill up 30 slides I have my work cut out for me…in fact I will be working like crazy, so hopefully I will have a lot of work to post in the near future! Assuming that the work passes my fussy standards! I did break some ground today by forging the thickest piece of steel I have ever attempted and with some attention could become a great functional piece! In the mean time things are looking up despite the fact that my arms are dragging due to today's undertaking! TWO MORE DAYS!!!!

Oppertunity

I don't know if anyone read my entry prior to this one but I have been waiting on the green light for a potential commission that I have been trying to lobby for some time...well after much anticipation I received word all systems are a go...This is great news because not only will if fund this summer's activities, but it will also compliment the metal scholarship I received through school: which will pay for all of the metal needed for my senior show! I figure that the gate will take me about 8 days of fabrication and painting to complete...as I said before there is little freedom associated with this project because the purpose is to emulate an existing gate, however my pride can hitch a ride on this one! I am currently under budget which is always good news! each section is 6feet 6in. horizontal by 4ft. 4inches vertical...
ps. anyone know where I can get Rice Anthracite (blacksmithing coal) in CT for under $8.50 a bag?

I am home for the summer and have been working non-stop both in my shop and at my place of employment....however today was a great day for several reasons. For starters I worked a long day which means my paycheck will be fatter than usual and that is always a good thing. The second reason is that I received two commissions today, one of which is a set deal, easy project that will yield me some spending cash for my shop or anything else that suits my fancy, the second which has not been fully finalized yet is a gate commission that could get my funding back on its feet and running again. The only downfall is that I would have to follow an existing design to match a pre-existing gate, but I think I could swallow my pride on this project; due to the amount of money involved... what is good is the supply cost will be relatively low considering the nature of other such projects of this magnitude, and the dimensions are 12 feet by 5 feet tall. After checking out the pre-existing gate I am more than confident a matching one can be fabricated with relative ease....I am keeping my fingers crossed on this one and hopefully everything pulls through....I am submitting my final offer on Tuesday or Wednesday with a detailed invoice! A more projects like this will boost business ten fold and hopefully fund future, more expensive projects and hopefully my senior show!

Paul

Recently there has been a lot going on in my life...there have been several recent changes....and before I have fully adjusted to one, I am presented with another one....This in turn has set into motion many reactions...First of all I have not had a lot of time to work (mainly in art) as much as I have wanted to....second there due to some of these recent changes I am having trouble fully adjusting to what is going on.....I will be graduating college in three semesters, which is also some cause for concern! In order to graduate art students must endure their senior show which is a culmination of their senior year's worth of art work into a final show demonstrating a theme...This recently has weighed heavily on my thoughts lately and I am working on finding a niche in which I would be the most successful...This is not the only event that has caused stress and concern....Therefore as of right now I am in a transition that has kind of thrown me off orbit and shaken the very foundations on which I stand... If you have any input please feel free to share!