Artisan Profile

I was born and raised in the Prices Corner area of New Castle County, DE.  I was working as a lab tech for ICI Americas in the late eighties when I realized I couldn't be penned up in a lab for the rest of my career. So I invested in some real estate at the right time and did pretty well.  That afforded me the opportunity to do something I've always wanted to do, learn to weld. 

 

I completed the welding program at Delaware Technical and CommunityCollege, followed my instructor's advice and invested in a mobile welding rig.  I fabricate metal garden art.  I build large plant supports like trellises and planters.  I try to combine plants into most everything I make.  My pieces look completely different from one season to another.  By using the right fertilizers, I can cover most of my work with flowers during the summer months. 

 

All my work is single pieces of solid mild steel. I rarely use hollow metal--only for very thick parts.  I bend all my metal by hand using two pegs and a lever.  I mostly design with scrollwork.  I like the idea of building pieces that will be here long after I'm gone.