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 Lilly Radiance Gate |
 Original Design Rough |
Lilly Radiance Gate
Summer, 2005 Over the winter of 2005, I continued working with forged structural materials. A new shape I developed is what I call the 'feather' - created from heavily forged angle stock. A number of pieces were created using this form as the basis, most notably the 'Autumn Grass' Arbour. My original rough for a decorative deck railing is seen here. This specific piece is yet to be created. The layout was instead turned on its side and covered to a garden gate - 'Lilly Radiance Gate'. Instead of the more complex feather profile, the gate features a spray of tubes drawn out to my signature lilly shapes. I retained the idea of a long sweeping D shape as the main structural element. This heavy flat bar is drawn to long tapers flowing into reversal curves at top and bottom. It was then hot punched to spread the metal and allow the individual lilly tubes to pass through - again a technique distinctive to forging. Instead of a tradition latch, this gate is to be held closed by a set of rare earth magnets mounted to the free end of the fence or post. The gate pivots on ball bearing mounts. The metal is finished with a dark green paint, the lilies highlighted with white and a touch of red. Now installed at Wareham. |
 Buffet Gate Overview |
 Gate Detail |
Buffet House Gate
Summer, 2003 (?) This larger installation presented a design challenge. The gate served as a side entry off the driveway of this Georgian red brick located in the older section of Guelph Ontario. The client had a fairly long space (about five feet) between the garage and an existing deck - but at the same time a tight budget. They wanted to have a normal sized entry gate, but at the same time be able to open up the entire space for access to the rear yard for latter planned renovations. The gate is in two unequal sections, the larger left hand segment being normally used, but with a shorter two foot section to the right that pins to the stonework. I designed a frame based on the use of angle iron, which provided visual weight without a lot of physical mass. The tops were folded, slit, opened and spread. The lower portions of each upright were split and curved. The horizontal supports were curved, with twisted segments of the uprights matching the contours. In this case, the customer chose to do the installation themselves, as well as applying the paint. (These two resulted in a considerable saving in labour and thus cost). |
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In contrast to 'Elephant Grass' (below), this gate is considerably heavier (about 100 lbs). It marks a considerable change in my understanding of Art Nouveau metalwork. Instead of just looking at the lines, I started looking at the actual construction of the individual elements. Structural steel components would have been new in the 1870's and 80's, and these form the backbone of many of the larger Art Nouveau metal complexes. The smiths of that time would then 'explode' the ends of bars, forging the individual segments into curves and tendrils. The other point of inspiration to the design was the series of bronze shields discovered in England and Europe which date to the Celtic Iron Age. The overlay of curves and spirals that pattern the original artifacts, which were primarily intended for display, rather than combat. One of the best known examples is the 'Battersea Shield', which was found in the River Thames in Middlesex England. It is dated to some place between the second and first centuries BC. (right) In this piece the basic frame is formed of a series of uprights made of channel (U shaped) material suggestive of a line of spears. At the upper and lower ends the channel is cut apart to create three individual strips, then formed to the curves. the upper sections are further given a quarter turn to break up the long straight lines. The uprights are held together by a series of sweeping curves, the lines taken from embellishments on Celtic Iron Age parade shields. The thickness and width of the individual curved elements varies to create a depth to the piece. A last decorative element is a hand poured glass disk set in a brass sheet frame. |
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This piece uses a technique I picked up at a 'smith's conference. The individual 'grass heads' are formed of tapered, wedged then contoured bar. These were then welded to small tubing, allowing for visual 'weight' without real physical weight. Another feature of this piece is the use of simple decorative paint, this time applied with plain commercial spray cans. |
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This piece, now in the collection of Vandy Simpson, is the first larger piece I did (in the early 1990's). It was originally supposed to provide a 'cat proof' entrance to the otherwise open concept room that was the textile studio. (As if you can keep kittens out!) It has fairly light construction, as it was not intended as a structural element, which is mounted indoors. |
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