Two forces creating individually and sometimes together in metal and fiber.
We are changing the name of our Etsy store to reflect the name of our home based showroom The Anvil and Needle. MaryAnn and I have decided to open a small showroom in Norridgewock, ME. We will have our own work on display, for sale, and occasionally other artists as well. Our work is a mix of Steve's blacksmith art, found object sculpture for the home and garden and MaryAnn's fabric art, which encompasses dying, quilting and painting with embroidery. We sometimes even collaborate on pieces. Which is hard because we both have very different working styles.
I've been working with metal for years, originally acquiring welding skills at technical school in the late 70's where I earned a degree in automotive and heavy equipment mechanics. I didn't use that much, but have always returned to metalworking in one way or another over the intervenin g years.
Creating found object art is a natural outcome of my habit to squirrel things away. I now am the proud owner of a big old pile of scrap metal. Friends are always bringing me things knowing I'll be able to use it somehow.
Sometimes an object will tell me just what it wants to be in its re-incarnation as a piece of art, other times I've got to struggle with it when I have a feeling that there's got to be something I can do with an interesting piece of junk.
What still amazes me after working with metal all these years is just how plastic it is when it's heated to a bright orange or yellow heat. I'm slowly moving into more forging and blacksmith work on small pieces with an antique portable farm forge I've acquired.
