Since I have crossed my Internet usage limit until Tuesday, I thought I would repost this one from 5 years ago today!
I have often found that letting the artist explain his craft is the most rewarding explanation of all.
So it is with Don Esser: Blacksmith, Metal Artist, and Sculptor.
Since 1976, using hammer and anvil, I’ve been pounding, twisting, and shaping hot metal.
As a self-taught artist, my approach to life and art has always had an element of fearlessness to it. From childhood on, art has always been a natural, joyful part of my life.
There is a fluid lightness to my work partly because I’m enjoying making it and partly because, after so many years, I have learned the language of my materials.
I try to capture the essence in as few lines as possible, with a sense of fluidity and grace that can be achieved working in the forge.
It is a little like stealing fire from the gods and my goal is to put a bit of that sense of wonder into each piece I make.
That playful quality in my work also means that most of my pieces are one of a kind.
People often ask, “How long does it take you to make it?”
My answer is, “36 years of practice, 50-plus years of training, and a lifelong desire to make art.”
More of Don Esser’s remarkable work can be found at Steel Wool Studio (http://steelwoolstudio.com/don-esser.htm).
Humoring the Goddess 