“Its in our f***ing DNA….thats what we do…..and when it all falls down….We build it right back up again…..But this time bigger! Better!”
-The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
Some how this this rings true, from the reconstruction of Chicago after the fires, to the the traditional mud and rock home that Marla and I will one day call our home…..so what is going to be the impact of our presence on this planet.
I have been very fortunate in my life calling…studied to be a mechanical engineer…prior to that, I was blessed with a traumatic bike accident at the age of 15 that knocked out 7 teeth, fractured my skull, and left me laid up for months on end….BUT, it gave me the opportunity to study under a local silversmith by the name of Greg Lewis while I healed….flash forward 10 years, I had the unique drive to be a part of the growing industry of body piercing, an industry that has provided me the skill set and tool set I posses today…..little did I know this was the beginning of what I finally realized was my calling…personal adornment…I am a professional metal smith.
I don’t do this part time, I don’t rely on other means of income to pay the bills, I have devoted, like many of you reading, a significant portion of my life to achieve these skills. I’m not blowing my own horn here, as, there are many things I do not know in the metal-smithing world. There are greats like James Binion, Cynthia Eid, Alan Revere, Raymond Yazzie, Richard Chavez, Michael Sturlin, Steve Shelby, and James Miller to name a few that I would love to apprentice under and absorb information like a sponge if given the chance.
Today….2010….what have we accomplished in life….we all strive to create beauty in the mediums that we have chosen…we all sit at our bench/computer/sketch pad, doodling, creating, destroying….ideas, renditions, and promises, that, one day, we will leave our mark on this planet…
I am very fortunate…for living life….for waking up every day to see the sun…to have found my soul mate…to meet and befriend individuals that inspire me to continue to do what I do….to give me the confidence in my creations….to strive for my personal best each and every time…I am leaving my mark on this planet…it occurred to me…just keep doing what you do best. If you do that, if you are happy, if you strive to push yourself each and every time, the rest of the world will appreciate what you do. Always be true to yourself, yes, we all produce things that *pay the bills*, but we all have to take a leap out of our comfort zones, to experiment, to make our selves vulnerable….
This piece is a case in point…a show piece that was experimental in construction. Its practicality would be questionable…angora sweaters would shun and curse you for wearing it. Friends would ask who your going to kill next by brandishing it, and most people would think I was smoking something illegal when I came up with the design. I knew it was a questionable piece to make, it tested my skills as a designer, it challenged me as a fabricator, and it tested my patience building it…but in the end…it was appreciated by an entity I have great respect for and I am humbled to now be a part of their collection.
The Museum of Arts and Design are the proud new owners of this piece….
316L Stainless Steel, natural coral, machined, welded, fabricated, diamond scratch finish, polished, tension set beads.
I have officially built my *thing*
patpruitt
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
That is one fierce piece of art! I love it!
It’s a fabulous piece, and quite worthy of their collection. I can’t wait to see it on display. Congratulations!
Pat – no surprise here that the Museum took it! I told MJ when we went to see you at the Charlotte show that you were going to become “collectible”. Your work is visually stunning, technically excellent, and I am convinced you will become one of the “names” in American art jewelry. I am honored to own one of your pieces!
LOVE it!!! best jewelry I have seen in a long time. I would wear it to a party gladly. It would keep the boring people away and attract the interesting ones like flies to honey!
Keep on making more!
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