What exactly DO you DO? I honestly don't get asked this question nearly as much as I wish. It is complicated to answer, I'm not sure I can adequately answer it honestly! But, I'm going to try to answer it, although I may have to simplify a bit. For this blog I'll focus on the fine art jewelry too. I work in metals, with a focus on “forging”. Forging is a process of “metal displacement”, usually that means smacking with a hammer. While I do add and subtract metal, I primarily

Tools. I love them. Sometimes I think I have enough, but then I go, “golly gee, I wish I could do that”. Except, I don't say “golly gee”, I say, “what the hell am I doing and why isn't “thing x” already in my shop! I have a collection of tools. Some of them I buy: grinders, sanders, drills, etc. Some of them I make: presses, hammers, pliers. Some of them I try to make, but end up buying: power hammers, anvils, belt sanders, etc. They all serve the same function: to act as an

Throw about a ton of art, a tent and some displays in the back of a pickup truck and drive somewhere to sell it for a few days: This was my business plan at 21. Art shows were the only direction I could see. It was hard. There was never enough room to bring what I wanted. Hotels were expensive. Food was expensive. I needed to get smart. I bought a box truck. Signed up for even more shows. Bought a nice sleeping bag and learned that you could buy a loaf of bread and pre mixed

I started forging steel when I was 18. My graduation present was a forge. I was awful, like, the work was so bad I could bring tears of despair to your eyes from the visual catastrophe—metal didn't deserve to be shaped like that. I got a job at a local blacksmith/fabrication shop. After the first week, they decided I'd be better at spray painting their finished work. After two weeks we both mutually decided that maybe I shouldn't be working in the trade. I grew up with zero m

Hi, my name is Mike Edelman. This is the third time I've started a blog about doing metal art. Maybe it is the 4th time? It doesn't matter. I get ambitious. I remember that the process is the real truth in a medium, and I passionately resolve that I WILL SHARE the process with the world. After all, the work everyone see's is experimentation distilled into a single moment. It is not the continuous spectrum of idea, execution, failure and success. In this blog I will share the