Silver

There is an undeniable beauty in a finely hand engraved piece of silver. The way the facets catch and reflect light adds a mystical quality to the precious metal. Sterling has been one of my favorite mediums to engrave for a few months now. As an engraver silver can offer both challenges and immense reward. Creating heirloom quality pieces gives me the opportunity to express myself in a different way than when I engrave in steel. For me it’s a very natural feeling and there is nothing as enjoyable as seeing for the first time the bright cuts in a finished piece sparkle and shine. No collection is complete without some examples of finely crafted and engraved silver. It would be my honor to have my work in yours!

Embarking on the artistic journey of a lifetime

2023 has been a banner year for me. After 6 years making custom knives full time I am transitioning to full time hand engraving. For the last year and a half I have studies under some of Americas greatest master engravers. My skills have grown to the point where I am ready to embark on this journey as a full time hand engraver. My focus will primarily be as a jewelry, watch, and knife engraver. I absolutely love this art and the outlet it has given me to be able to express myself as fully as possibly as a fine artist. I am looking forward to what the future holds and will be excited to share it with you.

Invalides

Since I began making knives the world of metal work has really become of great interest to me. Everything from primitive metal forging to fine gold and silversmithing. One thing that captured my imagination is the amazing armor that can be found in may great museums around the world. When I was in Paris last year I had the opportunity to visit Hôtel National des Invalides. It is such an incredible experience. I especially enjoyed the ancient armory. With what appeared to be thousands of examples of armor of the highest quality, I lost myself for more than half a day marveling at the quality of craftsmanship. I began to notice the individual pieces were telling a story through the ornate decoration. Every piece unique and created for an individual of status and meant to display at first sight the power and prominence of the wearer. To think about the primitive tools and techniques that were used to create these masterpieces was humbling. I am fortunate to have technology and access to techniques that these craftsmen could only dream of. If you find yourself in Paris or in many of the great cities in Europe I highly recommend finding a museum with an armory.

I should talk about Paris

There is so much to say and so many inspiring experiences that it is difficult to know where to begin. One of the most inspiring things I have ever done is to take an introduction to the jewelers bench at l’ecole at Place Vendome. L’ecole is located in an 18th century mansion in Paris where gemology and jewelry workshops, enamel and lacquer workshops, a design studio, classrooms and conference space, and library are available to the public through classes. The class I attended was the introduction to the jewelers bench class. It was absolutely fascination to be in contact with some of the top master jewelers working at Van Cleef & Arples. We were introduced to all of the major skills required to craft high jewelry.   

I found the class to be incredibly informative and inspiring. We were limited as to what we could photograph and there is so much more to see in person. As an engraver and knifemaker, being exposed to the highest form of craftsmanship allows me to see what’s possible and to push myself to improve my skills. It gives me something to aspire to. I encourage every craftsman and artist to study outside of their specific disciplines. There is so much to gain by exploring the broad world of craftsmanship and art.

A year of change

This year has been one of great change and exploration. Early in the year I committed to reaching my full potential as a hand engraver and took a beginner engraving class with Ray Cover in Missouri. It truly opened my eyes as to what was possible if I learned to apply proper technique and gave myself the time to succeed. Future Master Engraver has a nice ring to it, I think.

Later in the summer after returning from Paris France, where I studied jewelry making at l.école at Van Cleef & Arpels, I became even more inspired to take my work to another level. I was interested in exposing myself to a craft that has always fascinated me and I really enjoyed the opportunity to work closely with Master Jewelers. Eventually I may post specifically about this experience. I can barely begin to describe how cool it was to be in that environment!

Life has a way of leading one in the direction of purpose. It truly feels like every artistic endeavor I have every undertaken has lead to the place I am in now. I have so many projects and ideas I want to explore this next year. To say engraving has become my overriding passion would be an understatement. 2023 looks to be the year I shift my work toward more engraving based work. As I become a more proficient engraver I’ll be looking to expand the materials and techniques I work with and to apply even more thoughtful finishing and design into my knifemaking. I’m looking forward to sharing this journey.

Start at the beginning

Welcome to my blog. I have a love hate relationship with social media. Although I don’t think my work could survive without it, I haven’t found it to be a productive outlet for my creativity for quite some time. This blog will function much in the same way a commonplace book would. It will be a repository and touchpoint that I can come back to for inspiration and ideas. It’s a total self serving endeavor that functions purely for my own interests. You will see the wide variety of things that inspire me and likely find extensive ramblings about current and past projects. You may find some insight into what I do but that’s not my goal. My goal is to live the most creative life possible so I can express fully that very creativity through my work. In any case. Welcome!