Category: metal work

Dustin Payne

Dustin Payne, “Prairie Allies”, Bronze Monument

Dustin Payne represents the third generation of professional western sculptors in his family, so it comes as no surprise that the trade was a natural path for him. On his mother’s side he is a descendant of Hiram Daugherty and Mary Jane Goodnight, the sister of Texas Cattle King, Charlie Goodnight. Goodnight and Oliver Loving brought the first longhorns across country from Texas, inaugurating the cattle drive era.

As a child, Dustin enjoyed the drawings and books of Will James and was heavily influenced by the historical nature of his father and grandfather’s work. He feels fortunate that he has always been surrounded by such great artists and mentors, but more-so by being brought up around horses and ranching. His passion for the Western lifestyle and Western American history fuels his imagination to preserve the past in the art that he creates. He currently resides and works in Cody, Wyoming.

Alfred Janniot, “Fontaine du Soleil”

Alfred Janniot, “Fontaine du Soleil”, Nice, France

The “Fountain of the Sun” or “Fontaine du Soleil” is located on the south side of Place Masséna. The founatin in its original form was inaugurated in 1956. On it are five bronze statues respresenting Earth, Mars, Mercury, Venus and Saturn that were sculpted by Alfred Janniot. A seven metre high statue of Apollo sits at the centre of the fountain.

At one point the statue of Apollo was moved due to censorship to the sports park Charles Ehrmann in the 1970s and was eventually returned on June 20, 2011.

The son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin brother of Artemis, Apollo was the god of music (principally the lyre, and he directed the choir of the Muses) and also of prophecy, colonization, medicine, archery (but not for war or hunting), poetry, dance, intellectual inquiry and the carer of herds and flocks. He was also a god of light, known as “Phoebus” (radiant or beaming, and he was sometimes identified with Helios the sun god). He was also the god of plague and was worshiped as Smintheus (from sminthos, rat) and as Parnopius (from parnops, grasshopper) and was known as the destroyer of rats and locust. Sacred to Apollo are the swan, the wolf and the dolphin.

Floyd Elzinga

Steel Sculptures by Floyd Elzinga

Rotten stumps, broken branches, invasive species, ravaged trees as well as polar opposites and dysfunctional objects; these are the things that excite Floyd Elzinga. He has made a career out of highlighting and glorifying these through three dimensional sculpture, relief work and environmental installations for over 15 years. Current themes in his work focus on broken landscapes, portraits of trees and the aggressive nature of seeds.

Floyd received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design in Halifax, NS. He was initially drawn to steel, due to its malleable, plastic and forgiving nature, and he continues to utilize its range of colours as well as the way light plays off the surface. He has been exploring traditional metal working techniques to create textures and depth the same way a painter would use a paintbrush.

Elzinga’s Pine Cone Colony installation was featured at The Campbell House Museum during Toronto’s 2010 Nuit Blanche ( Bottom two images of steel pine cone in a fire).  Public commissions of his work can be seen in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto, as well as Rockcliffe Park Village Green, Ottawa, and the Canadian side of the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge.

Josh Smith

Handmade Knives by Josh Smith MS; Photography by Eric Eggly

Josh Smith is a 32 year old Master Smith in the American Bladesmith Society. He makes hand forged bowie knives, liner lock folding knives, slip joint folders, hunting knives, fighters, push daggers, swords, and daggers. Each of the blades are heat treated to the highest quality. Smith uses fossil mammoth ivory, fossil walrus ivory, exotic woods, and precious metals. He is expert in  forging outstanding mosaic Damascus.

Josh Smith also hosts the Big Sky Country Knife Conference and Show which  has grown to become one of the best biannual events in the custom knife world. He also exhibits his work at the ABS Expo. The best way to purchase one of his knives is by placing an order with him or by signing up on his email list. You will be contacted first when a new knife available. More contact information and a viewing gallery are on his website.

http://www.joshsmithknives.com

The 2015 Zero SR Electric Motorcycle

The 2015 Zero SR Electric Motorcycle

150+ MI RANGE / 300,000+ MI LIFETIME
The 2015 Zero S and Zero SR feature advanced cell chemistry and battery management systems that provide greater capacity and range. Not only does the ZF12.5 power pack enable you to go beyond 150 miles, it is also designed to last the life of the motorcycle. The result of cutting edge research and development, each cell in the power pack is individually controlled and monitored to ensure maximum health. The highly efficient onboard charger minimizes charge time and can work in parallel with Zero’s scalable off-board charging systems.

Zero Motorcycles designed the Z-Force® motor from the ground up to be compact, efficient and powerful. It provides you with exhilarating acceleration to a top speed of 102 mph as configured in the Zero SR. Capable of doing 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds, the Zero SR offers spirited riders an edge in competitive riding. Completely air-cooled, the motor is designed to provide a fantastic riding experience minus the need for any regular maintenance. When slowing down, the motor generates electricity that is channeled back into the power pack to help extend ride times. The Zero SR motor uses higher temperature magnets to ensure better performance during extended durations at higher speeds.

Showa Suspension; Bosch Anti-Lock Brake System; Pirelli Tires; LCD Dash System with Sport, Eco and Custom Riding Modes; App Synchs via Bluetooth to iPhone and Android; Carbon Fiber Belt Direct Drive (No Shifting); Instant Torque at All Speeds; Recharges Through Any Standard Outlet; Equivalent Fuel Economy 462 MPGe (City) 236 MPGe (Highway); Typical Recharge Cost $1.40

Jim Sanborn

Sculptures by Jim Sanborn

Jim Sanborn (born Herbert James Sanborn Jr.)  is an American sculptor. He is best known for creating the encrypted Kryptos sculpture at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. surroundings. Sanborn designed Indian Run Park located adjacent to the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Beltsville, Maryland with inspiration from the Iroquois Nations that inhabited the area nearly 900 years ago. On this site, hundreds of artifacts by the Iroquois have been discovered, and it is estimated that thousands still remain.

Jim Sanborn himself has also “seeded” 10,000 arrowheads within the grounds, allowing visitors the possibility to take a piece of this work of art with them. The park, named after the original Indian Run River that once existed here, includes a waterfall and walkway resembling the snaking waterway. Also, located within the park is a bronze cylindrical sculpture written in Onondaga language and “transcribed from the ancient oral tradition of the five Iroquois nations.” At night it is illuminated with a pinpoint light that emits its text upon the surrounding environment.

Jody Samson

Jody Samson:  Acheron Leaf Blade:  Limited Edition of 100 Pieces Worldwide.

Hand ground from high carbon steel, hand heat-treated.
Hilt components cast from original waxes by Jody Samson, hand finished and darkened. Leather wrapped grip.
Overall length 35 ¼ “
Blade length 28 ¼”
Weight: 2 pounds 11 ounces
$800.00

Jody Samson has made his permanent residence in New Glarus, Wisconsin, working with Albion. Jody maintains a large studio in the Albion facility, personally supervising the making of the Conan™ swords, and creating a line of knives and swords for Jodysamson.com.

Bartolomeo Ammanati

Bartolomeo Ammanati, Statue of Faunus, Fountain of Neptune, Florence, Italy

Born in the city of Settignano in June of 1511, Bartolomeo Ammanati was an Italian sculptor and architect. Of his many works, the best known is the Fountain of Neptune located in the Piazza della Signoria, Florence. 

Though private commissions took place in Florence during the early 1500s , public works were not often produced. Commissioning sculptures for exterior, public areas was a tactic the Republic used in order to portray Florence as a reincarnation of Rome, which had a grand tradition of sculptural works for prominent public spaces. By establishing Rome as a predecessor of Florence, the city was seen as a prestigious, conquering city-state, equal to Rome’s glory and  capable of expanding its reach.

The marble and bronze Fountain of Neptune was commissioned by Florence in 1565 with the initial design work by sculptor and draftsman Baccio Bandinelli. He chose the large block of marble which was to be the central figure; however, he died in 1560 before the work stated. From 1563 to 1565 Bartolomeo Ammanati and his assistants sculpted the block, using Grand Duke Cosimo I as model for Neptune’s face. This statue was meant to highlight the Grand Duke’s goal of establishing a Florentine Naval force.

The majority of the design and sculpture was executed by Ammanati. He continued work on the fountain for a decade and added around its perimeter a collection of demigod figures which contained bronze, reclining river gods, fauns and satyrs, and marble sea horses emerging from the water. All these figures were modeled and cast under Ammanati’s supervision by a team of assistants. The female nude statue personifying Ops, the Sabine fertility deity, as well as the general design and character of the lesser gods are examples of the mature style he developed over the years.

One of the Fountain of Neptune’s bronze satyrs is Faunus, who, in the ancient Roman pantheon, was the horned god of the forest, plains, and fields. He eventually became equated with the Greek god Pan, and was also known among herdsmen as Inuus, the god who embodied sexual intercourse. One of the oldest Roman gods, Faunus revealed the future in dreams and voices to those who slept, while lying on the fleeces of sacrificial lambs,  in his precincts.

Yeong-Deok Seo

 

Sculptures by Yeong-Deok Seo, Human Figures from Bicycle Chains and Industrial Steel Links

The human body is a complex system and yet Korea-based artist Yeong-Deok Seo’s figurative sculptures manage to capture its intricacies. His realistic models are comprised of bicycle chains and industrial steel links carefully sculpted and welded together to mimic the human body.

The figures have a definite, recognizable silhouette from a distance. However, up close, the sculptures have a cold, textured surface because of the chains are completely hollowed out. Seo purposely constructed them this way to make a poignant message. His work is in response to the growing obsession with the mechanical world. According to Seo, everyone is consumed with their arbitrary devices and themselves, resulting in a race of incomplete humans that lack emotion. It’s a dark interpretation of the modern day human.…

Winged Lobster-Tailed Burgonet

German/Polish Winged Lobster-Tailed Burgonet, circa 1700

One-piece skull embossed with six ridges and riveted visor, adjustable nasal bar and neck-guard of four lames. On the sides, two riveted heart-shaped wings embellished with geometric openwork. Attached cheek-pieces pierced with seven holes each (leather strap of the cheek-pieces an later addition). Height ca. 39 cm. Sold at auction: 7,200 Euros.