The TallGrass Forge Blog

I was able to find some time over the last six months to make a few sculptures. The bull horned sculpture  is called Bull Dog Chicken and is not one Iwould ever want to  sell. The bird who is looking around is a  sculpture that is called Keeping an Eye Out for the Kitties. The title is a play on words. They are both metal and have been hand-forged, welded and fabricated to also resemble the subtle landscape of where I live here in Kansas. I try to make them both figurative and landscape pieces.

The six sections are complete and here are some pictures that we took in the shop. It should be installed and open for the public to see tentatively on Memorial Day of 2011. The fence will have these six 6′ sections that will be installed with stone posts between them. All of the farm implements are pre-1940’s, and all of the metal used for vines, etc. is also recycled from the farm. I wanted the vines themselves to resemble flowers as they flowed in the wheels, and they are create spaces smaller than 4″ that meet code for public spaces. It was a great project to be a part of, and I feel honored to have been asked by the family who commissioned this fence for the Downing Children’s Garden at Botanica, The Wichita Gardens. I am excited to see it installed with established flower beds in the farm section of the garden where children can plant seeds, etc. Thank you to everyone who is a part of it for your help and support. So, for now, we hope you enjoy these pictures.

Hammering with the power hammer

Hammering in the vein details

shaping the leaf in the stump

Finished leaf

Here are some pictures of the steps involved in making leaves.

putting the wheels into place

This is the third section that has been made for the Children’s Garden commission.  The emphasis is on the wheels that were used on the farm.

Main wheel of third sectionPutting the wheel up into the framegetting the wheels into place

after the linseed oil was applied

Here are process pictures from the second fence section.

second section in processMoving the main wheel to be placed in the frameLinseed Oil just applied to second section

There are now 3 of the 6 sections done for the fence project. At some point in the near future, we will be getting better photos with a good background. For now, these are taken in the shop as the process rolls along. These pictures have been taken over the last month or so.

Even though the heat index is getting pretty high, I’m trying to get up by 5:00 a.m. to beat the heat. It is rolling along, and I hope to have it completed by the end of the summer.

Please let me know what you think. It is wonderful to hear back from those who visit the site–even if it is just a word or two. I appreciate it.

Wrapping the vines for strength and to tie it all together

Lay out w/vine and leaf work

Rusting after the rust treatment

Seed press wheel table for entry way (back view shown here)

In between projects ealier this spring, I played around with making this table. For now, it will be kept close to home to enjoy.

first fence panel lay out / design before forged vine & leaf work

Drilling the holes for rivets

Currently, I am working on a fence that will be a part of the farm section of the new Downing Children’s Garden at Botanica, The Wichita Gardens.

All of the pieces of reclaimed farm implements 

Taking the hay rake apart

texturing

will be incorporated into the forged ironwork of leaves, vines and flowers.

I am excited to be a part of this project and look forward to the whole process. A local family from this area of Kansas has been generous enough to commission the project and donate old farm implements from their family farm.

So, for now, here are photos of the process of starting the 6 panels required for the fence.

Rose

Here’s an example of a rose I made. Flowers of all varieties can be made for different purposes. I’ve also begun working on a cattail gate. I’ll post that later. I’ve been working on table legs & intend to make the table top for it soon amongst other projects  that I’m doing for others like bottle trees and globe trees for the garden. The legs are intended for an outdoor table that will be heavy enough to stay put through whatever kind of weather. I have worked in wood since adolescence– through college where I worked in the KU Woods Room helping design students and others with their projects under Cotter Mitchell for years during my undergraduate. I am looking forward to getting back into it.

Hanging Flower Pot Holder

Our booth, presenting trellises, candleholders, hanging pot holders, fire pokers, sculptures, & samples of flowers

Screech Owl in one of the Scenic Gardens

Sculptures, crosses, garden accents & candleholders

We enjoyed our time at the Wichita Garden Show from March 3rd through the 7th.  We met many wonderful people and made some great connections. What a beautiful show. The Scenic Gardens were just amazing!  We are appreciative of all of the wonderful feedback that we received from the people who came into the booth and other more seasoned vendors, landscape designers and from friends and family who came to visit. Overall, it was a smooth, rewarding, and exciting time. We hope to hear from many of those who expressed interest in having work done for yards throughout Wichita and other neighboring areas in Kansas. We look forward to working hard to create quality and unique pieces to accent beautiful gardens. We would be truly honored!