About
"Sure I can..."
When asked by Napa Valley winery owner Dick Grace, "David, can you hand-carve a couple of winery doors for me?" Of course, I said "Yes!" But my brain said "No!" Too late... I was already committed. After hundreds of hours of hand carving and making approximately $6.36 an hour, the project was finished, launching my wood carving career for 20 years in the Napa Valley.
Wood... to metal
Theresa Norton from Vineyard 29 wanted to create an unusual offering for the Napa Valley Wine Auction one year and once again I was asked, "David, can you make me a presentation out of metal, instead of wood, this year?... what do you think?"
"Sure!" I replied with more confidence than in my earlier days. I already had ideas I wanted to apply and now Theresa gave me not only the opportunity to make a big change but also she paid me well to create it!
Winery Offerings to Gates.
I don't know if you can see the pattern here but soon after Vineyard 29's metal auction offering went for a staggering bid, I was approached by Susan Card.
"David, can you make me a metal gate that's real shiney with a fish theme and a metal cat sitting on the post? I'd love that, David!"
"Absolutely!" and I was off and running in another new direction.
A big move...from CA. to AZ.
My wife, Micki and I made a big move from CA to an artist town below Tucson called Tubac. No wood there - so I saw how prophetic the previous turn of events were - metal was my one and only medium in the dryness of the Sonoran Desert.
Rusty steel and mesh with rocky gabions were my new offerings. I loved scouring the recycled metal yards and found treasure everywhere I went.
Az. led me to Public art
Tucson has a wonderful Public Art program requiring any large development to incorporate a small percentage of their funds into adding public art. I took advantage of my graphic skills to lay out my ideas and my background of working with winery owners and hundreds of other clients enabled me to work well with contractors and builders. This was another addition to my skill set: creating sculptures out of metal that would live forever in the desert climate.
Flexibility helps in a changing market
In the 18 years we found ourselves in the Sonoran Desert, I learned that being an artist in both metal and wood and bouncing back and forth from gates to sculptures was vital to not have to find work, even in the leaner times. Someone always needed a gate or Public Art or private sculptures.
Another change was in the wind
Micki and I felt the need to make another big change of location before we got too old to do so.
We loved the Desert and the friends and clients we both made in our time in Tubac, but a foreign country was now on our radar.
I worked until we sold our house , our cars and took our possessions down to 6 duffel bags, our 2 dogs and 1 cat and transported ourselves to Costa Rica.
Neither one of us were retiring, just re-wilding. I knew I could buy a welder anywhere in the world. I would began again in a new location!
Now...the pura vida lifestyle
Once arriving in Ojochal, Costa Rica, just after Costa Rica opened up their borders from COVID, we found property to buy right away and jumped in to design and build a house when Costa Rican builders were in need of work. We also got a head start on supplies before the container issues started.
10 months after we broke ground, our house was completed and we're loving the great outdoors of the jungle and all of its flora and fauna.
New Location... new ideas!
Gabbions, entry gates, a custom sculpture and signs, a room divider, spiral staircase, tables and one of a kind fencing have launched my work in Costa Rica. Using local woods, bamboo and sparks from welding under the shade of my jungle studio, I've found new creative ideas waking me to get an early start.
Let me know how I can help you with your special one-of-a kind artistic project!