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Episode #75 – Lorelei Sims "Organic Metalworking" Jun 20, 2016

Show notes

Lorelei Sims started her blacksmithing career in 1993 by purchasing a shop in Charleston, Illinois following her art education. She has grown her blacksmithing business by forging functional art pieces. As the best-selling author of "The Backyard Blacksmith" book, Lorelei is well respected throughout the blacksmithing community.

What We Talked About

The book "The Backyard Blacksmith" is celebrating its 10th year in publication and still the number 1 blacksmithing book on the market!
Lorelei was inspired by her grandfather and his copper organic looking metalwork. This was her connection to botanical work in metal, hence the subject for the new publication.
When Lorelei makes botanically inspired metalwork, she first dissects the organic forms such as the flower, the bud, the vine. Then she organizes each piece in an eye pleasing composition.
"Organic Metalworking" is Lorelei's next publication, similar to a magazine format and size it will concentrate on her floral and organic techniques. This serial publication was released in March of th2016. To get information on how to purchase "Organic Metalworking" visit http://www.blacksmithchic.com/ .
Queue McMillan is the editor and designer of the Organic Metalworking publication, so she and Lorelei first had to fit all of the content into 3 distinct categories; tools/ equipment, techniques, and projects. So they decided to concentrate on the vine and leaf motif for each of the categories.
Lorelei remembers when Quarry publications contacted her to write the "Backyard Blacksmith" and the first thing she remembers was thinking… "how hard can it be?". At the time, she was offered a one-time writers fee with no future royalties.
This first edition of Organic Metalworking was dedicated to Dano Goostree who was a blacksmith. His specialty was adhering copper to the bottom of cookware, which is a lost art. He passed away in 2013.
The second publication of Organic Metalworking will be about the woodlands and should be released in the next year or so.

Guest Links

Lorelei's website - http://www.blacksmithchic.com/index.html
BlacksmithChic Business Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/fivepointsblacksmithshop?fref=ts
A Craftsmen Legacy episode with Lorelei - http://www.craftsmanslegacy.com/episodes/season_1/Episode-9

If you enjoyed this episode, I would love it if you would support the show by:

telling your friends.
sharing this episode using the social sharing buttons below.
subscribing to the show and leaving a rating and review in iTunes. Not sure how? Just follow these simple steps here or watch the short video tutorial, http://youtu.be/rq4OCyRGjHc?list=UUH3MfNZLXlKgionAs6kMT_Q
subscribing to the show in Stitcher, http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=54499&refid=stpr

Thanks so much for your support!

Ep. #74 – Alan Dawson "WW1, 100 years later, 300 International Blacksmiths and Farriers" Jun 13, 2016

Show notes

For today's show, I talk with Alan Dawson from the UK, he's an artist blacksmith who has worked in art and architectural metalwork for over 35 years. Alan Dawson Associates have produced innovative, high quality, bespoke metalworks for all types of projects and he's one of the founding members of BABA, the British Artist Blacksmith Association. He's also one of the core group of members that is organizing the Ypres 2016 International event in Belgium. The event is a 100-year memorial commemorating all who have been affected by WW1, a 23 ft tall cenotaph surrounded by 2016 poppies and 25 panels depicting the trenches will be erected next to a German war cemetery in Belgium. The 25 panels will be made onsite over a 6 day period by 25 Masters who will have a team of six blacksmiths each. Alan has designed a panel in memory of a particular story from WW1 which is about the Jones brothers and he's also made 40 poppies for the event. We talk about the logistics it takes to pull off such a large event and about the panel competition review and winners.

What We Talked About

The event takes place in September 2016 to arrange the meeting of 300 to 400 blacksmiths and farriers from around the world. They will erect a 22-foot cenotaph surrounded by 2016 poppies and 25 panels to form a lasting memorial for all who were affected by WW1.
There is a core group that is organizing this large international event, there are 8 in the group. The group also has help from country representatives, a group of blacksmiths in the UK and Hereford College students are also helping.
The idea started in 2009 when a group of UK blacksmiths collaborated on a large sculpture called the "Pillar of Friendship" in Liverpool UK. Luc Vandacasteele, a Belgian smith, started thinking about doing another collaborative blacksmith event in Ypres, Belgium because of the importance of the Menin Gate, a memorial built in 1927 for soldiers that were never found. Luc brought the idea to the BABA Association to see if they would like to help with the organization of the event.
Luc has done a tremendous amount of work in the way of organization of donated materials for the sculpture. He has coordinated the donation of services and materials for local businesses.
The companies that have donated their services and materials are:
- A German steel supplier donated the material for the cenotaph. The raw material for the cenotaph alone costs just over 10,000 euros, its 23 ft tall, 6 ft wide, 4 inches thick and 12.5 tons.
- A Belgian engineering company donated their cutting services to plasma cut the positive and negative part of the poppy in the cenotaph.
- Another Belgian company donated their services to making the steel frame that will mount the cenotaph.
- A Belgian concrete company has donated the pre-cast concrete mound that will hold the 2016 poppies.
- Transportation of materials, structural engineering calculations, and many other services have been done free of charge.
The core group is still working on raising the remaining money needed, about 80,000 pounds to cover the setup of the market with tents, forges, anvils, swage blocks, etc all in one day, also to reimburse the 25 Masters will incur for traveling to the event. A crowd funding campaign has been started to raise the funds, you can see and donate here, https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ypres-2016-blacksmith-farrier-cenotaph#/
This blacksmith event is one of many in the town of Ypres happening for the centennial commemoration of the great war. Luc applied to the Ypres mayor years ago to have access to the center market for a week long blacksmith event.
For the last 90 years, every night at 8 o'clock the local fire brigade provides buglers who play the last post at Menin Gate. The building is always full to capacity and for those who have applied ahead of time, there is a chance to lay a wreath in memory of a loved one. The core group has arranged for a blacksmith ceremony at Menin Gate one of the nights, it will include laying a wreath of poppies forged from children around the world.
Alan recommends for us to read about the Jones Brothers, the article is on the Ypres 2016 website, http://www.ypres2016.com/category/the-great-war-stories/. A sample panel has been forged in honor of the Jones boys.
The 25 panels that will surround the cenotaph will have interpretive information about each design so the half a million visitors per year can connect to WW1 and the memorial. 10 masters were invited and have accepted to design and make a panel each. 16 more blacksmiths have been chosen through a competition that was held internationally. Seven members of the core group reviewed 104 designs that were submitted for the competition. The 25 Masters that have been chosen are:
- SHONA JOHNSON - SCOTLAND
- KHEIR AKER - ISREAL
- TAKAYOSHI KOMINE - JAPAN
- PETER DE BEUS - BELGUIM
- WILL MAGUIRE - AUSTRALIA
- FRANSISCO GAZITUA - CHILI
- ACHIM KUHN - GERMANY
- VLADAMIR SOKHONEVICH - RUSSIA
- JEFFRY FUNK – AMERICA
- SANDRA DUNN - CANADA
- STEVEN LAURIJS – NETHERLANDS
- JIM WHITSON - SCOTLAND
- EGOR BAVYKIN - RUSSIA
- ONDREJ GELA – CZECHLOSLOVAKIA
- AMBROSE BURNE – UNITED KINGDOM
- IVAN KADOCHNIKOV - RUSSIA
- ROBERTO GIORDANI - ITALY
- ALEXANDER SUSHNIKOV - RUSSIA
- GIOVANNI SARTORI - ITALY
- JAMES MAKELY - AMERICA
- BENJAMIN KJELLMAN-CHAPIN - NORWAY
- JACOB HAGGERTY – UNITED KINGDOM
- PATRICK PELGROMS - BELGIUM
- PHILIP VERCAMMEN - BELGIUM
- PAUL MIKULA – SOUTH AFRICA
There is an opportunity to register as a delegate to have the opportunity to forge with the master's teams. The registration sign up is on the website here, http://www.ypres2016.com/delegate-registration/
An exhibition of curated forged work will also be set up next to the event called "Transitions". Delyth Done is in charge of curating and organizing the exhibition. The exhibition will continue to tour around Europe after the Ypres event.

Guest Links

Ypres 2016 website – ypres2016.com
Alan Dawson's website - http://www.adaptahaus.co.uk/artmetal.php

A Big Thank You to today's sponsor – Ypres 2016 International Blacksmith event, www.2016.com

If you enjoyed this episode, I would love it if you would support the show by:

telling your friends.
sharing this episode using the social sharing buttons below.
subscribing to the show and leaving a rating and review in iTunes. Not sure how? Just follow these simple steps here or watch the short video tutorial, http://youtu.be/rq4OCyRGjHc?list=UUH3MfNZLXlKgionAs6kMT_Q
subscribing to the show in Stitcher, http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=54499&refid=stpr

Thanks so much for your support!

Ep. #74 – Alan Dawson "WW1, 100 years later, 300 International Blacksmiths and Farriers" Jun 13, 2016

Show notes

What We Talked About

The event takes place in September 2016 to arrange the meeting of 300 to 400 blacksmiths and farriers from around the world. They will erect a 22-foot cenotaph surrounded by 2016 poppies and 25 panels to form a lasting memorial for all who were affected by WW1.
There is a core group that is organizing this large international event, there are 8 in the group. The group also has help from country representatives, a group of blacksmiths in the UK and Hereford College students are also helping.
The idea started in 2009 when a group of UK blacksmiths collaborated on a large sculpture called the "Pillar of Friendship" in Liverpool UK. Luc Vandacasteele, a Belgian smith, started thinking about doing another collaborative blacksmith event in Ypres, Belgium because of the importance of the Menin Gate, a memorial built in 1927 for soldiers that were never found. Luc brought the idea to the BABA Association to see if they would like to help with the organization of the event.
Luc has done a tremendous amount of work in the way of organization of donated materials for the sculpture. He has coordinated the donation of services and materials for local businesses.
The companies that have donated their services and materials are:
- A German steel supplier donated the material for the cenotaph. The raw material for the cenotaph alone costs just over 10,000 euros, its 23 ft tall, 6 ft wide, 4 inches thick and 12.5 tons.
- A Belgian engineering company donated their cutting services to plasma cut the positive and negative part of the poppy in the cenotaph.
- Another Belgian company donated their services to making the steel frame that will mount the cenotaph.
- A Belgian concrete company has donated the pre-cast concrete mound that will hold the 2016 poppies.
- Transportation of materials, structural engineering calculations, and many other services have been done free of charge.
The core group is still working on raising the remaining money needed, about 80,000 pounds to cover the setup of the market with tents, forges, anvils, swage blocks, etc all in one day, also to reimburse the 25 Masters will incur for traveling to the event. A crowd funding campaign has been started to raise the funds, you can see and donate here, https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ypres-2016-blacksmith-farrier-cenotaph#/
This blacksmith event is one of many in the town of Ypres happening for the centennial commemoration of the great war. Luc applied to the Ypres mayor years ago to have access to the center market for a week long blacksmith event.
For the last 90 years, every night at 8 o'clock the local fire brigade provides buglers who play the last post at Menin Gate. The building is always full to capacity and for those who have applied ahead of time, there is a chance to lay a wreath in memory of a loved one. The core group has arranged for a blacksmith ceremony at Menin Gate one of the nights, it will include laying a wreath of poppies forged from children around the world.
Alan recommends for us to read about the Jones Brothers, the article is on the Ypres 2016 website, http://www.ypres2016.com/category/the-great-war-stories/. A sample panel has been forged in honor of the Jones boys.
The 25 panels that will surround the cenotaph will have interpretive information about each design so the half a million visitors per year can connect to WW1 and the memorial. 10 masters were invited and have accepted to design and make a panel each. 16 more blacksmiths have been chosen through a competition that was held internationally. Seven members of the core group reviewed 104 designs that were submitted for the competition. The 25 Masters that have been chosen are:
- SHONA JOHNSON - SCOTLAND
- KHEIR AKER - ISREAL
- TAKAYOSHI KOMINE - JAPAN
- PETER DE BEUS - BELGUIM
- WILL MAGUIRE - AUSTRALIA
- FRANSISCO GAZITUA - CHILI
- ACHIM KUHN - GERMANY
- VLADAMIR SOKHONEVICH - RUSSIA
- JEFFRY FUNK – AMERICA
- SANDRA DUNN - CANADA
- STEVEN LAURIJS – NETHERLANDS
- JIM WHITSON - SCOTLAND
- EGOR BAVYKIN - RUSSIA
- ONDREJ GELA – CZECHLOSLOVAKIA
- AMBROSE BURNE – UNITED KINGDOM
- IVAN KADOCHNIKOV - RUSSIA
- ROBERTO GIORDANI - ITALY
- ALEXANDER SUSHNIKOV - RUSSIA
- GIOVANNI SARTORI - ITALY
- JAMES MAKELY - AMERICA
- BENJAMIN KJELLMAN-CHAPIN - NORWAY
- JACOB HAGGERTY – UNITED KINGDOM
- PATRICK PELGROMS - BELGIUM
- PHILIP VERCAMMEN - BELGIUM
- PAUL MIKULA – SOUTH AFRICA
There is an opportunity to register as a delegate to have the opportunity to forge with the master's teams. The registration sign up is on the website here, http://www.ypres2016.com/delegate-registration/
An exhibition of curated forged work will also be set up next to the event called "Transitions". Delyth Done is in charge of curating and organizing the exhibition. The exhibition will continue to tour around Europe after the Ypres event.

Guest Links

Ypres 2016 website – ypres2016.com
Alan Dawson's website - http://www.adaptahaus.co.uk/artmetal.php

A Big Thank You to today's sponsor – Ypres 2016 International Blacksmith event, www.Ypres2016.com

If you enjoyed this episode, I would love it if you would support the show by:

telling your friends.
sharing this episode using the social sharing buttons below.
subscribing to the show and leaving a rating and review in iTunes. Not sure how? Just follow these simple steps here or watch the short video tutorial, http://youtu.be/rq4OCyRGjHc?list=UUH3MfNZLXlKgionAs6kMT_Q
subscribing to the show in Stitcher, http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=54499&refid=stpr

Thanks so much for your support!

Episode #73 – Bob Patrick and Peggy Kjelgaard "ESSA and their Blacksmith Program" Jun 06, 2016

Show notes

Continuing along the education theme on the show this year I have a unique interview for you. I'm interviewing two people at once and they are involved with the Eureka Springs School of the Arts in Arkansas. The Eureka Springs School of Art in Eureka Springs, Arkansas offers classes and workshops for all of the arts, but is now building a bigger focus on metal arts with a new Iron Studio. Peggy Kjelgaard is the Executive Director of the school and Bob Patrick a nationally known blacksmith with professional experience since 1967. He has taught and demonstrated at regional and national conferences all over North America and is currently teaching at the Eureka Springs School of the Arts. Since he's been in the blacksmithing craft since the late 60's he's got some great stories about the early days of ABANA, Francis Whitaker, George Dixon (who was once the head blacksmith at Yellin's shop).

Peggy says the Eureka Springs School of Art (ESSA) opened in 2001 and was originally called the School Without Walls because they didn't have their own facility. Over time, however, they grew into a 40-acre campus that attracts students from all over the country. She says that 60% of their students come from out of state.
Originally the school's blacksmithing program was held outdoors and at satellite locations with classes taught by Bob Patrick. Because of high demand for blacksmithing, the school sought grant funding for a new studio. The studio opened its doors in 2014.
The new Iron Studio houses four propane forges, two coal forges inside, one outside and stations for metal fabrication. Those stations include three welders, plasma cutters, a large air hammer and treadle hammer and more items being added each year.
Bob Patrick designed the coal forges for the studio from scratch. He's been blacksmithing since the late 1960s and is largely self-taught. His background is in horseshoeing, sleigh building and restoration. He also founded an ABANA chapter and has participated in four of their conferences.
About winning the Bealer Award in 2002, Bob says, "A tremendous number of people who deserve this award will never get it. There's no fairness to that. The award is a tremendous honor, but the best thing is getting to do the metalwork."
About blacksmithing as an art, Bob says, "Many times I feel I'm luckier than my customers because a lot of the things I'll make on a piece look better when they're red hot than they do when they're installed and cleaned up and painted. We get to see it when it's growing and alive."
Patty says that there's a definite movement building in the Ozarks toward blacksmithing and even young people are showing interest. They recently worked with a local school providing art classes for kids for a week. With the new studio, they were able to offer an iron studio class with 1:1 supervision. She describes it as "amazing". "I think there's a young group coming up that really wants to understand this craft. They're in their backyards with charcoal grills making metal hot and pounding it on a rock," Peggy says.
Bob says most of the classes at ESSA are beginner level, with a few intermediate. He's also taught a gate building workshop.
ESSA recently hosted a smelting event for the Blacksmiths of Arkansas organization and they used local iron ore. The 3-day event included building an outdoor furnace and then doing the smelting.
When asked about book recommendations, Bob offered the following:

The Backyard Blacksmith by Lorelei Sims, because everything is within a beginner's grasp;
The Smithy's Craft and Tools by Otto Schmirler, because he shows all the basic techniques and "the drawings are magnificent".

ESSA is offering several 5-day workshops this summer including:

Beginning Metal Sculpture

Basics of Knife Making

Fire Tools for the Coal Forge and Fireplace

Forging Edged Tools

Peggy says that while ESSA offers all of the arts and every medium, "Iron is our newest and hottest because we've got that brand new studio out there. Everybody's fired up."

Guest Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EurekaSpringsSchoolOfTheArts/photos
Eureka Springs School of Art – www.essa-art.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EurekaSpringsArts

Episode #72 – Jack Klahm "Aluminum, the "Old Man" Metal" May 23, 2016

Show notes

Jack founded Klahm and sons 43 years ago in Hawaii and moved the business to his current location in Florida. He has experienced a variety of opportunities to learn his craft. He began with forging steel, and 20 years later he entered into the aluminum and bronze world of forging. He has been a member of NOMMA since 1978; and has done numerous demonstrations, and videotapes for education. Over the course of being a NOMMA member Jack's business has received more than 100 awards, and they are a two-time Mitch Heitler award winner.

What We Talked About

Jack's father was a high school Industrial Arts teacher and Jack learned a lot about the metal field through osmosis from his father.
1972 Jack and his parents created the business "Klahm and Sons", first as a furniture business, then it eventually became a full-on metal blacksmith business making gates and doing large restoration commissions. His shop was 12 ft by 12 ft, with a hand shear, a railroad track for an anvil, oxy/acetylene set up and an AC buzz box.
Jack has a family history of metalsmiths – his great grandfather was a blacksmith and grandfather was a stainless steel metal worker in Germany.
His shop now had 3 other smiths working with him and they have been there for 10 years.
Jack's first restoration project was the Iolani Palace in Hawaii. The project was to bring back the original metal color on a half a mile of fencing, 4 driveway entrance gates and 8 pedestrian gates.
The second restoration project was the Royal Mausoleum in Hawaii, where all of the Hawaiian kings and Queens are buried.
Jack's family moved to Florida in 1985 and received another restoration project working on Samuel Yellin's driveway gates at the National Historic Landmark of Vizcaya.
His skills have all been self-taught. Growing up with dyslexia strengthened his perseverance to succeed, that paired with a high mechanical aptitude has grown his successful business.
In 1992, Jack was commissioned by a client who didn't want any rust to show up on the work for years to come, this is when Jack started to work primarily in Aluminum.
Jack has learned over the years that the stories you can tell about your work. Projects and relationships with clients really sell your work for you.
The ABANA 2016 Conference committee has asked Jack to be a demonstrator this summer. He will be giving demo's on forging aluminum and bronze as well as a slideshow on Saturday showing his works over the past 43 years. The demonstrations will have a metallurgical flair to them, talking about the different alloys of aluminum and bronze.
1992, in Asheville North Carolina, was Jack's last ABANA demonstration, where he was the first person to demonstrate forging aluminum.
Jack has been a member of the NOMMA organization for many years, this has given him the ability to teach many students who have gone on to win NOMMA awards. Jack has also made teaching videos for NOMMA on creating curved staircases.
When asked if he could learn from any blacksmith for a day, dead or alive, who would that be – he said from the people who aren't with us anymore, Bill Gichner, Ernest Wiemann. He also mentioned Steve Swerzer, who lives close to Jack, Michael Bondi and Bob Bergman.

Guest Links

Klahm and Sons Website - http://www.klahmandsons.com/
ABANA Demonstrator Link - http://www.abana.org/Conferences/2016/contents/en-us/d16_Jack_Klahm.html

A Big Thank You to today's sponsor – ABANA 2016 Conference, http://www.abana.org/Conferences/2016/index.html

If you enjoyed this episode, I would love it if you would support the show by:

telling your friends.
sharing this episode using the social sharing buttons below.
subscribing to the show and leaving a rating and review in iTunes. Not sure how? Just follow these simple steps here or watch the short video tutorial, http://youtu.be/rq4OCyRGjHc?list=UUH3MfNZLXlKgionAs6kMT_Q
subscribing to the show in Stitcher, http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=54499&refid=stpr

Thanks so much for your support!

Episode #71 Fred Zweig "Work in Multiples" May 09, 2016

Show notes

Fred Zweig is a talented chasing and repousse artist from Tucson Arizona. Fred is a self-taught metalsmith, practicing since the early 1970's. He has been involved with teaching others for over 35 years and has a sincere passion for the process of metalworking and all of its traditions and possibilities.

His desire to give homage to those who proceeded him and his desire for information have led him to moderate several historical metal forums including the Society of American Silversmiths and Society of Arts & Crafts website. A creative innovator of materials and tools to create unique designs, Fred has attended and assisted in many workshops in metal and other media.

His focus in the past 30 years has been teaching metals classes. Teaching is a natural extension of his desire to share with others what he knows.

What We Talked About

Fred started working with copper in high school making small sculptures.
He continued his art career by being a bench jeweler and also a teacher.
His first teaching job was with the Arts and Prisoners program in Anchorage, Alaska. He also taught a metals class with the Tucson Arts and Recreation program for 19 years.
He has made copper outdoor fountains for a living in Tucson, now Fred currently makes brooches that entail landscape designs.
Fred will be a demonstrator at the ABANA 2016 conference, he will be demonstrating chasing on 20-gauge copper. He will also be teaching a hands-on workshop there and he is prepping 10 pitch bowls with 20 sets of bumping and texture tools for the student's stations.
The most memorable times for Fred while teaching and working with students, is when they have that "ah-ha" moment.
His desire to give homage to those who proceeded him and his desire for information have led him to moderate several historical metal forums including the Society of American Silversmiths and Society of Arts & Crafts website.
Fred has become so talented in chasing and repousse by respecting the process of the techniques. He designs around a process and he works in multiples (makes 3 of the same design). This allows you to give yourself the freedom to explore different areas with different end results.
These days, Fred works as a mechanical designer and teaches art on the side.
Fred recommends some chasing and repousse books such as:
- Marsha Lewis – "Chasing" book
- Adolf Steines – "Moving Metal – The Art of Chasing and Repousse"
- Nancy Megan Corwin – "Chasing and Repousse"

Guest Links

Zweig Video on Chasing & Repousse

fredz49.blogspot.com

A Big Thank You to today's sponsor – ABANA 2016 Conference, www.abana.org/2016slc .

If you enjoyed this episode, I would love it if you would support the show by:

telling your friends.
sharing this episode using the social sharing buttons below.
subscribing to the show and leaving a rating and review in iTunes. Not sure how? Just follow these simple steps here or watch the short video tutorial, http://youtu.be/rq4OCyRGjHc?list=UUH3MfNZLXlKgionAs6kMT_Q
subscribing to the show in Stitcher, http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=54499&refid=stpr

Thanks so much for your support!

Episode #70 – Heiner Zimmerman "The Blacksmith Craft - Contained Knowledge Over Generations" May 02, 2016

Show notes

Heiner Zimmermann is a second generation German blacksmith. His father, Paul Zimmermann, had his works published and thus influenced American and European blacksmiths throughout the 70's and 80's. It was through working with his father and uncle that Heiner had the unique opportunity to meet and work with leading smiths around the world including Hermann Gradinger of Germany, Olaf Punt of Norway, Alfred Habermann of the Czech Republic, Allen Evans of England, and Jeffrey Funk of the USA.

He completed his academic studies with a Master's Degree in art and did additional studies in welding and restoration. His knowledge and skill led to a professorship at University Gothenburg Sweden which, like Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is one of only a few colleges in the world to offer advanced art degrees with a focus on blacksmithing.

What We Talked About

Heiner shares that his childhood was always filled with a supportive artistic environment. He spent a lot of time in his father's forge and had the opportunity to forge his own first piece at the age of 12, it was a sword.
By the age of 16 Heiner was already working in the forge assisting with forging, striking and installations. Around that age you needed to choose your career path and blacksmithing was, at first, not Heiner's first choice. Though, after thinking about it some more, he chose to become a blacksmith and was educated by his father for 3 ½ years.
Heiner learned his first business lesson at a blacksmith conference when Dick Quinnell offered to buy Heiner's candle holder from the gallery. Heiner sold it to him for a paltry price, then Dick Quinnell said "OK, I will now take it home and sell it for twice the price, so now I have taught you a business lesson".
Through the 1990's Heiner received a few grants to be able to further his education by apprenticing with other blacksmiths around the world. The most important lesson he learned through his travels was that the world became smaller to him which made him focus on the similarities that the blacksmiths share, things that unite them, not the things that divide them. This revelation works it way into Heiner's artwork.
Heiner has a lot of thoughts on the blacksmith craft and where it's going in the 21st He will address his thoughts and ideas at the ABANA 2016 conference during his lecture. He will talk about what a blacksmith's role is in today's world, what they represent and how does society view blacksmiths today.
The blacksmith craft started centuries ago from people taking risks with innovation such as punching holes in hot iron and forge welding. These techniques have been handed down over generations and Heiner feels a great responsibility to preserve the craft and keep it alive. His contributions to preserving the craft are being open minded to trying new things, taking risks, creating new contemporary techniques, pushing the boundaries.
When ABANA approached Heiner to give a lecture at this year's "Education" themed conference, Heiner had an idea to include leaders from the three most prominent higher education institutions that offer a blacksmith program, Southern Illinois University, Hereford College of the Arts and University of Gothenburg. ABANA agreed to include Rick Smith from SIU and Delyth Done from Hereford to join Heiner in lecturing on higher education and intentions and practice in the craft. They will also hold a "critique talk" panel discussion where they will critique pieces made from attendees.
Heiner talks about how to be a successful blacksmith today in business terms. Competing with manufacturing will not work in today's world, so selling the process and the story behind the piece will work. He discusses the difference between functional design and sculptural design, the intention, the process and how we communicate as artists.
The metal art program where Heiner teaches (Craft and Design at Steneby, University of Gothenburg) their first-year students to take risks, experiment and develop an artistic language for themselves. Then they move onto the business part of things, marketing, curating and exhibiting.

Guest Links

Heiner's website - heinerzimmermann.de
The University of Gothenburg at Steneby - http://www.hdk.gu.se/en/programmes-courses/crafts-and-design-steneby

A Big Thank You to today's sponsor – ABANA 2016 Conference, http://www.abana.org/Conferences/2016/index.html

If you enjoyed this episode, I would love it if you would support the show by:

telling your friends.
sharing this episode using the social sharing buttons below.
subscribing to the show and leaving a rating and review in iTunes. Not sure how? Just follow these simple steps here or watch the short video tutorial, http://youtu.be/rq4OCyRGjHc?list=UUH3MfNZLXlKgionAs6kMT_Q
subscribing to the show in Stitcher, http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=54499&refid=stpr

Episode #69 – Jeff Jubenville "Constant Choreography of Chaos" Apr 25, 2016

Show notes

Jeff Jubenville is an artist and a blacksmith who lives in Rochester, NY. Although his life’s primary focus for work over the last 30 years has been working with Albert Paley and Paley Studios, as the shop foreman. Jeff has always had his own blacksmithing shop and has been busy creating both functional and sculptural metal works of his own design for private commissions.

What We Talked About

Jeff and the crew in the Paley Studios are currently preparing a few public art installations that will be installed on a few different states across the country. One of them is destined for Colorado and it about 22 ft tall and 10,000 lbs. One of the other pieces will be installed on a hurricane wall which will be 42 ft long, and around 7000 lbs of stainless steel.
One of Jeff’s main duties as the shop Forman is to make sure that sculptures are ready to be worked on when Albert is there at the shop. Albert has a very busy travel schedule due to the many lectures he gives across the country and to the classes he teaches, so Albert’s time in the shop is limited and Jeff makes the most of that time by being as efficient as possible.
Jeff’s educational background is in painting (watercolors) and he attended SUNY Brockport to receive a Bachelors of art. Jeff met Albert for the first time in a jewelry class that Jeff took and Albert was the instructor.
When Jeff finished college he went to work for Tom Markusen doing forging and learning how to weld, use a power hammer and a coal forge.
Also, during the summers Jeff worked in a historical reenactment museum in the blacksmith shop. This is where he taught himself more traditional blacksmith skills.
For 7 years, 1980 – 87, Jeff was working at a structural steel firm and every year he would approach Albert to hire him to work in the studio. Albert hired him on to work part-time at night, so Jeff was working both jobs for about a year until Jeff was laid off from the structural steel firm. He then asked Albert for a full-time job and got it!
Paley Studios is now in a 40,000 sq ft building, 10,000 of it is upstairs with the offices, archives, and a print storage room. The shop is 25,000 sq ft and about 7,000 sq ft of warehouse for storage.
Currently, there are 14 employees in the shop working on the floor. They perform most of the grinding, welding and torch work. Jeff and Albert do most of the forging. They end up hiring out a lot of the cutting, machining and forming to subcontractors.
Jeff stays busy at the studio with coordinating: the ordering of materials, the scheduling of outside contractors, photo shoots of finished pieces, ongoing projects of Albert’s series work, installing art and the ongoing submittals for public art.
Jeff talks about the differences in character between him and Albert, and how those differences have enhanced their working relationship for the past 30 years.
This summer, in Salt Lake City Utah, Jeff will be giving a few lectures at the ABANA Conference covering the day to day operations at the studio and the NYC Park Ave installation of 13 sculptures.

Guest Links

Jeff’s Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.jubenville?fref=ts
Paley studios website - http://www.albertpaley.com/

A Big Thank You to today’s sponsor – ABANA 2016 Conference in SLC, Utah.

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Episode #68 – Roberto Giordani "Metal Metamorphosis" Apr 18, 2016

Show notes

Roberto Giordani is a second generation blacksmith who resides in northern Italy. He has studied and worked with many of Europe’s leading artist blacksmiths. They include Toni Benetton, Alfred Habermann, Angelo Bartolucci, and Claudio Bottero. He has demonstrated and taught at The Claudio Bottero School in Stia, Italy; Forja Viva in Barcelona Spain; the California Blacksmith Association; and the Northwest Blacksmith Association. Roberto's sculptures have been shown all over the world: Czech Republic, United States, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Morocco, Germany, and in many Italian cities.

What We Talked About

He learned to blacksmith at a very young age and spent a lot of time in his father’s shop. He continued his education learning about metal and building restoration.
Tony Benneton was a big influence on Roberto’s vision of metal and how it can be transformed into modern forms and sculpture.
He worked with Alfred Habermann at the Helfenstien Castle for two weeks where he made a sculpture for the castle property.
Roberto met Claudio Bottero about 15 years ago and has worked with him at various times over that period. He has demonstrated and taught at The Claudio Bottero School in Stia, Italy and at his school that he founded called the Arts Factory. This is an international school that invites artist and craftsmen of many disciplines to come to his studio and teach both traditional and modern techniques.
His ABANA Conference demonstration will include making a sculpture titled “Steelhead”
While Roberto is in the US for one month, he will also visit the state of Virginia to teach a 4 day class and to New York state to teach another 4 day class as well.

SHORT CHRONOLOGY

2015 Mount Hood, USA. Teaching at C.B.A (California and Oregon Blacksmith Association).

2014 Anchiari (Tuscany), Personal exhibition.

2013 Sansepolcro (Tuscany). “Plasticity Iron”, personal exhibition at Franco Alessandrini Gallery.

2013 Bagno di Romagna. From iron to art”, personal exhibition at Palazzo del Capitano.

2012 Cesena. “Metamorphosis of metal”. Personal exhibition at Palazzo del Ridotto modern art gallery.

2012 Kolbermoor, Germany, “Iron Modern Sculptures”, collective exhibit.

2012 Barcelona, Spain. Impromptu performance at Forja Viva.

2012 San Francisco, USA. Forging performance at the C.B.A. Spring Conference.

2011 Helfstyn Castle, Czech Republic. “Sculptured by Fire”, personal exhibition.

2010 Brussel, Belgium. “Feu & Fer”, personal exhibition.

2006 Helfstyn Forum, Czech Republic. “Energies Meeting”, public performance.

2006 Kiruna, Sweden. Ice Sculpture at the Kiruna Snow Festival (“Meteor”, third prize).

2005 Stia (Tuscany), Forging performance contest, 1st prize.

2004 Chefchaouen, Morocco. Teacher at “Forging Fundamentals” international training course.

PUBLICATIONS

“CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN SMITHS”, Antonello Rizzo, edited by Rizzo, 2015

“IL LETTO E DINTORNI”, Giuseppe Ciscato, edited by Alinea, 2000

“LA MAGIA DEL FERRO BATTUTO ITALIANO”, Giuseppe Ciscato, edited by Alinea

“METAL DESIGN International 2008”, Elgass Peter, edited by Hephaistos Jahrbuch, 2008

“SCULTURE, Roberto Giordani”, edited by Petruzzi, 2007

“FROM FIRE TO FORM “, Mathew S. Clarke, edited by Schiffer, 2008

“I MAESTRI ITALIANI DEL FERRO BATTUTO 2“, Giuseppe Ciscato, edited by Alinea, 2007

“DAMASCUS“, Emilio Albericci, Flavio Galizzi and Luca Pizzi, edited by Rizzo, 2010

Guest Links

http://www.corsiferrobattuto.com/en/ http://www.giordaniscultura.it/index.html http://www.robertogiordani.com/index.html

A Big Thank You to today’s sponsor – ABANA 2016 Conference

Maybe more pictures

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Episode #67 – Charles Lewton Brain "If you make the same mistake three times, it's a technique" Apr 11, 2016

Show notes

Charles is an internationally known artist and master goldsmith, an author of 7 books and numerous magazine articles, owner of his own publishing company, BrainPress, College teacher and head of the Jewelry Metals Program at Alberta College of Art and Design, a co-founder of the Ganoskin Project which since 1987 has grown to be the largest educational website in the world for jewelers, and the innovative inventor of the fold forming technique. His education started with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, then a Master of Fine Arts from SUNY of New Paltz, NY then he continued his education in Europe, Germany and Great Britain.

What We Talked About

Charles is currently teaching at an Art College and he tells his students to think of different ways a project can be re-used to aid in being efficient.
He still writes for a variety of publications, currently the Sante Fe Symposium Conference has asked him to write a chapter in their annual book they publish.
Charles talks about the time he spent in a German art school, which is where he came up with the fold forming technique. Many revered jewelers also attended this same school such as Alan Revere, Charon Kransen, and Harold O’Conner.
The first exposure of Charles demonstrating the fold forming technique was in 1985 at the SNAG (Society of North American Goldsmiths) conference in Toronto, Canada.
The first exposure that blacksmiths had to fold forming was when Charles demonstrated at the 1987 ABANA Conference in Alfred, NY. Tom Joyce was assisting Charles with fold forming steel on the power hammer.
His roommate at this 1987 conference was Daryl Meier, who was a skilled bladesmith that was well known in the bladesmith world, the jewelry world and the blacksmith world. They both noticed that in the blacksmith world there was no hierarchy of skilled to beginner, everyone would talk to everyone.
Charles recommends artists schedule an hour a week of playtime in the shop with no particular goal in mind, from this ideas are born.
Pay attention to your mistakes instead of rejecting them, he says “If you make the same mistake three times, it’s a technique”.

Guest Links

His website - http://www.brainpress.com/

The Ganoskin Project website - http://www.ganoksin.com/

A Big Thank You to today’s sponsor – ABANA 2016 Conference

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sharing this episode using the social sharing buttons below.
subscribing to the show and leaving a rating and review in iTunes. Not sure how? Just follow these simple steps here or watch the short video tutorial, http://youtu.be/rq4OCyRGjHc?list=UUH3MfNZLXlKgionAs6kMT_Q
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