Back in February of 2009 we received an exciting email that started like this: 

Dear Jennifer & Dave:  Congratulations!  You have been chosen as one of the artists in the Sculptures on Pacific Avenue Project in Bremerton, Washington!

This kind of news is music to the ear of any artist trying to make it in the public art world.  We had entered a call-for-artists from the Bremerton Arts Commission for seven sculptures to be placed along their main downtown corridor as part of the city’s forward-thinking revitalization plan.  They ended up choosing 3 artists/teams, and specifically asked Dave and me to create a pedestrian-scale version of our sculpture Despite the Rain.

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We recently created and installed this simple metal deck railing for clients in NE Portland. 

Simple yes, but unique & stunning still the same due to the creativity of our clients.  They wanted to add an assortment of handmade colored glass tiles to the railing but didn’t know quite how.  After talking through some ideas we decided on a 4″ x 4″ mesh railing pattern.  Dave would then create metal bezels to hold the tiles in place; positions dictated by client.  » Continue reading…

Patrick Gracewood’s designs and sculptures have always enchanted me with their beauty.  He captures images from the natural world simply & evocatively.  These images turn up in his bas relief, fine art sculpture and architectural restorations.  Patrick’s versatility as an artist awes me, and I hope that one day some of his designs will “grace” our own ornamental metal work in some way.  » Continue reading…

A glimpse of what’s going on in the shop these days — a driveway gate & walk-through gate for clients who run a lavender farm in Woodinville, Washington.   As they prepare to open their farm to the public they need a stout & eye-catching driveway gate to 1) attract, impress & spark curiosity as people drive by along the busy road in front of their property, and 2) keep the public away from their property during non-business hours.

The basic design, without artistic components, looks like this: 

The  panels will be variegated black, achieved via a chemical patina process, and the frames will be finished with a textured rust powder coat.    » Continue reading…

Now comes the fun part.  I get to take the laser cut steel panels I showed you in the previous post and begin to form them into their intended shape.  When we built the first Shapely I chose to construct an internal armature to support the 16 gauge shell (shown in the next two pictures) . 

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Our young son has always been a creative gift giver (a trait he must have gotten from his dad). The idea behind his new line of gifts started last year when he wanted to make something in the shop for his Grandma J. for her 80th birthday. Idea in mind, he sat down and drew a picture of a flower…”because all grandmas love flowers,” he says. From this picture Dave cut out the design in metal with his plasma-cutter and welded on a rod for the post. Back to S. again to add his own flair to the piece with paint.

Now does that look like one happy grandma? Not to mention one proud kid. » Continue reading…

We are officially bi-coastal!  We installed this railing for my mother & stepfather over the holidays in Durham, North Carolina.  We’re quite relieved that all the pieces survived the freight trip and that our long-distance measuring proved accurate.  For the story behind the railing, click here.

( Note the nice NC sunshine in December — how I miss that! )

A natural rusted look with high durability & low maintenence is achieved with a rust textured powdercoat finish.

Just in time for the shortest day of the year Dave and I added some warmly exotic lighting to our dining room.  For several months I had been eyeing some Vietnamese lights at my favorite local bistro/retail store Mint Tea.   I knew it was time to buy when Abdul, the co-owner, told me they were having a sale on all their fair trade items.  Merry Christmas to me!

Of course, I really wanted to have them hung before a holiday party we were hosting a week later. Nothing like time pressure to keep you hopping!  We designed a very simple metal bracket and Dave went at it.  Here it is:

Distressed & Blackened Steel Bracket

I love the exotic curves of these lights (which I must mention were wired and hung just in time for our party). 

This was our first foray into lighting and we are ready to do more.  Contact us for your own custom lighting dreams.

Here are photos of a recent project we completed in Northeast Portland. Our client is renovating this old beauty with the help of a PDC grant (Portland Development Commission targets certain neighborhoods for revitalization and offers grants for building improvements). It has been converted to two apartments and an art studio.

Word has it that the house has a colorful past, and some of the neighbors worried its notoriety might be forgotten, and along with it some neighborhood character. Our client decided to honor the so named Henry Williams house by calling it “H.W. on Garfield” (the street name), and placing a prominent sign above the porch eave. Wish I knew the history. Or perhaps not – it might not be as romantically intriguing as I imagine. Speakeasy? Brothel? If I get the juice I’ll share it.

Far view of the project showing signage & tubular stair railing.

Stainless Steel House Sign & Address Plates

Letters & numbers were laser cut.

Powder coated stair railing

Installation

Simple, sleek address plates