Artist / Blacksmith Charlie Spademan

OK; so it’s been 6 months since my last entry.  I’ve been busy.  Below are images and descriptions of a couple of recently completed projects.  Clicking on an image should take you to my gallery, where there are additional pictures of each project.

Woodland Table

July 2008.

This photo shows a portion of a table I made for a client’s hallway.  I wanted to make the table look as though the supporting “branches” were squeezing the frame supporting the top.  The overall size of this piece is 78″ x 20″ x 32″high.  My client also asked that I include a representation of a small bird, sitting on a crossbar (click to see); I found this to be the most challenging part of this work.

Gate, for a residence in Montclair

Completed in August, 2008

Rather than having the scrolls simply lay on top of a framework of bars, I have the vertical bars weaving through the scrolls, as in a basketweave.  The scroll ends are tapered and wrap around the gate framework.

Railings, Upper Montclair

Completed October, 2008

Continuing the theme of the gate, I used similar wrap-around elements in this work.  The posts are forged from 1 1/2″ solid square bar, with a diamond motif at the top echoing the muntin bars in my client’s home.  The handrails wrap around the posts at top and bottom.  My aim was to keep this work as organic as possible.  It has an antique copper finish, to match existing lighting fixtures.

I’ve been working for the last few days on a new photo gallery for my work, as I have never been particularly satisfied with the presentation of the slideshow that I had linked to this site. Additionally, I wanted to have a separate album for the pictures that Jackie Yarmo had taken of my studio a week or so ago. The link to my new photo gallery is HERE, as well as in the sidebar to the right. It is still very much a work in progress, lots to do with labeling and re-ordering pictures, etc., but I was anxious to get it out there.

…from scratch. Though I liked the small pair of machine-made scissors that I used in the sample (click to see sample) for BangZ, I felt that they seemed a bit “alien” to the rest of the artwork, as all other elements were hand-made by me. Thus; today I made shears, finishing 4 pair. I’ll probably need 4 or 5 more, in a different size.

My first pair, resting on my anvil

OK, So one of the railing ends needed only very minor tweaking, the other has taken me 4 trips to the Salon to get just right, but this mornings trip should be my last before I return to install the railings.  I began assembling some of the components of the railings; in the picture below you see the railing “branched” ends attached to the rest of the handrail.  Also, you may be able to make out that I have the first 4 balusters tacked in place, as well as some braces to keep the railing aligned while I move it around the shop. Towards the end of the day today, I began forging the next couple of balusters in the series.

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