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Jeremy Cooper:
Fine Metal Sculpture
Jeremy learned to weld at the age of thirteen. After attending trade
school and advanced welding courses, he then worked for over five years
as a heavy equipment welder and fabricator. Although this allowed him to
dabble with his own creations after hours, he decided to change
professions. Never losing the desire to create, he slowly acquired the
equipment needed to set up a studio. Finally in the fall of 2006 he was
able to pursue his dream full time.
"I enjoy challenging myself with each new piece, taking
raw metal and forming it into what I see in my mind."
Jeremy is a self taught artist, sometimes working from his sketches and
at others intuitively.
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Matt the Norwegian Bachelor Blacksmith
His Story
For those of you that listen
to Garrison Keillor and the Prairie Home Companion you will get the joke. For
those of you that don't, sorry.
Matt was born in Norway and moved to the States when he was 8 years old. He
still tells stories of running around the deck of the ship as they traveled to
the United States, and seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time.
His family stayed on the East Coast for about a week before moving to California
and eventually moved to the Northwest. Matt fell in love with the majesty
mountains and clear blue streams. At around age 18 Matt got a job at Timberline
Lodge on Mt. Hood. His love of fishing in the mountain streams, and skiing made
it a natural for him to settle on the mountain. After years at Timberline he
moved to the Willamette Valley but has never lost his love for the Mountain.
The intricate ironwork at the lodge intrigued Matt and he started to research
how the work was done. His first anvil was a piece of rail discarded by the
railroad. He formed a horn and a heel on the rail and with the help of his
Oxy/Acetylene torch and a hammer he started pounding out iron. Now some thirty
years later Matt is one of the premier blacksmiths in the US. Matt has over five
different anvils, a dozen or more hammers, and too many tongs to count. He
graduated from his torch to a coal forge and finally a clean burning propane
forge which he uses today.
You can find Matt at any one of several arts and craft shows through out the
Northwest. You can find his products at numerous stores along the West Coast. If
you see Matt at a show be sure to introduce yourself and tell him you visited
his web site.
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