What’s happening at Bighorn Forge?
Dan Nauman delivered his new sculpture, Diversion, to Edgewood Orchard Gallery in Door County last week. Before loading it into the truck we photographed the work at his shop. The work stands 88″ tall, 48″ wide, and 6″ deep.
(click photograph for larger view)
Leica R8/DMR, 60 mm Macro Elmarit
This morning Dan Nauman, of Bighorn Forge, picked up three prints to represent his Lynden Sculpture Garden Gate in a competition. I’d photographed the main west Gate for Dan back in early August of last year. Below – you can see the photographs Dan chose for the competition. You can see the rest of the shoot as well, including the east, exit gate here.
We had a wonderful conversation about art and artists, craft and craftspersons. The last couple times Dan and I have been together we talked about the importance of exchanging ideas; talking to other artists in other mediums; critiques; etc. I’m currently reading Patti Smith’s Just Kids. I’m at the point in the book where she and Robert Mapplethorpe are living in the Chelsea Hotel – one of the artistic salons of the 50s, 60s, 70s – reminiscent of the Left Bank of Paris in the 20s – and reminding me of my own experiences in the 60s and 70s on the east side of Milwaukee.
Some many years ago I managed to get a couple salons together. A small group – a novelist, a poet, a couple singer-songwriters, a photographer – got together to sing, read, look at photographs. It was good fun. I’d like to do more like that. How about you?
As Dan walked out the door I asked him, “When, where and whom should we invite to the first artist’s salon of 2013?” And now I throw it out to you all – Want to get together with other “creatives?” Show and tell? Challenge one another? Let me know when and where you may like to do so. Let’s make 2013 a creative year of sharing.
(click photograph for larger view)
Leica R8/DMR, Various lenses
Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, Dan Nauman created this, 43″ tall, Fireplace Tool Set using mild steel, copper and mica. Additional photographs of this piece can be seen here.
You can see more of Dan’s work here; and follow his blog here.
(click photograph for larger view)
Leica R8/DMR, 60 mm Macro Elmarit
On September 7th Dan Nauman installed the final terminus section of his bronze railing at Lynden Sculpture Garden. However we had to wait for the patina to even out across all the sections before attempting to photograph the completed railing. Last week I gave the afternoon light an opportunity to charm the railing; and this week I gave the morning light an equal opportunity. These bronze forms stretch the the photographic limits in terms controlling highlights, contrast and complex color. To capture the movement, rhythms, forms and details of this intriguing metal work I used 15, 35, 50, 80, 100 and 180 mm lenses; lay on the ground; and climbed a ladder to find where the background, the piece and th light made the most visual sense together. To more fully comprehend the intricacies of the railing, the rather difficult environment surrounding it, along with the ever changing light — you can view the slide show of additional views and details.
(click images for larger view)
Leica R8/DMR, (numerous lenses were used)
Dan Nauman of Bighorn Forge continues to bring new forms to his hand wrought home furnishings.
“There is no substitute for feeling the stone, the metal, the plaster, or the wood in the hand; to feel its weight; to feel its texture; to struggle with it in the world rather than in the mind alone.” — William M. Dupree
“The artist is a man [or woman] who finds that the form or shape of things externally corresponds, in some strange way, to the movements of his mental and emotional life.” —Graham Collier
(click image for larger view)
(Slide show of additional views of this table)
Dan has been quite busy at his Big Horn Forge (we’ve also been working on his website for almost a decade). He had me photograph a recently completed gate for a stone walled garden in Cedarburg, WI. A fabulous gate for a fabulous garden. A gallery of additional views can be seen here.
(click images for larger view)
Laurie, the highly skilled gardner also kindly gave me some of the recent harvest.
and a couple other pieces recently photographed for Dan
above photographs created with Leica R8/DMR and various Leica R lenses
“Adopt the pace of Nature; her secret is patience.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
(click images for larger view)
A week or so ago I had the opportunity to return to a subject I’d photographed last spring. This gate, created by Dan Nauman, fits so well into its environment that photographing it becomes very difficult during daylight. The natural surroundings seem to absorb the organic forms of the metal. We created these night photographs in an effort to separate the organic metal forms from their natural environment (for an upcoming magazine article). If you open and drive through this driveway gate you will arrive at the residence, above the great lake Michigan seen in the black and white photographs above.
How do we make the web we weave work for our clients as well as ourselves? It seems that new terms come into use every day. Recently we discovered the umbrella term “social media.” We’ve been using these media (e-mail, blogs, Skype, discussion groups, etc.) for years; yet didn’t have a term to refer to all of them. The potential of social media appears huge, time consuming, informative, mind boggling. Sorting out the best choices, and uses, for our clients and ourselves becomes the challenge.
About a week ago I received a call from Suzanne Kresse, inquiring about web site development. She liked what we did for William Peterson of Woodland Ponds; as the real estate agent for that development, she thought we could help her achieve her web site goals. So this link comes directly from an existing client. The question, “can we maintain and further develop this link for ourselves as well as meet Suzanne’s goals and budget?”
Yesterday I received a call from Renee Ferrara inquiring about developing a web site for Mille Tesori. Over the past 8 years I’ve worked with Marcia Klode, owner of Mille Tesori Design Studio, on a number of small photography and design projects. Each time we’ve met I’ve brought up the subject of developing a web site for her studio. Now we (potentially a new Mille Tesori web team) seem ready to begin the design process. This link speaks on the virtue of patience.
A simple photograph and ad design, produced in 2000, for inclusion in a Milwaukee Symphony program .
Kim Temkin-Taylor of Temkin-Taylor Design (we designed her logo, letterhead and business card, and host her web site which we hope to develop in the near future) actually designs the spaces which interior designers like Marcia eventually get to work within.
Matt Millen of Millen Roofing Company puts the lid on the finest homes, churches and other historic buildings. This family owned company has been installing and maintaining slate and tile roof systems since 1893. We’ve had the honor of working with Matt on numerous projects, including his web site, corporate identity, and documenting the making of the best quality hand split slate tiles in Arvonia, Virginia.
Both Dan Nauman at Bighorn Forge and Seth Tyler at Tyler Studios, Limited serve the same demographic as Suzanne, William, Kim, Marcia and Renee. In fact Seth did a little work on William’s beautiful permanent Woodland Ponds entryway signs (which we also helped design). I’m proud to have designed Kim’s logo, William, Dan, and Seth’s web sites, as well as having the honor of photographing Dan and Seth’s amazing metal sculpture, gates, railings, lamps and lights for years.
I look forward to exploring, discovering, and developing, all the new ways and means to take our small network of existing clients to new heights of success. It seems obvious and appropriate that Suzanne, Kim, Marcia and Renee, Matt, Dan and Seth should all meet — at least on-line — because they’ll find their clients within nearly identical demographic parameters.
Some time ago I proposed to Dan (and I believe Seth as well) that we arrange some sort of event to make these connections. Perhaps this very “social media” blog is that very event.
We look forward to helping you all stay in the news through the use of “social media,” fine web design services, superb photography, as well as multimedia: including audio, video, web casts, pod casts, etc..
Printing photographs of iron work by Dan Nauman bighornforge.com today. I’ve photographed Dan’s beautiful work for a number of years now, along with developing and hosting his web site. He’ll submit these prints to the National Ornamental and Miscellaneous Metals Association http://www.nomma.org/; for consideration in their Top Job competition.
Simultaneously, I’m creating a dvd for Kevin Meyers, a motivational speaker http://www.mytruevision.net. Some years ago I developed Kevin’s logo, letterhead and business card.
