Interior Stair Leaf Railing

This client reached out to Kyle about forging a custom interior stair railing with an organic leaf motif. Come on in the studio and see a little bit of the process behind this piece!

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The first step in creating this railing was to forge the leaves. In the photo on the left, Kyle is using a chisel and filleting block to shape the center vein of a leaf. The middle photo shows the entire process from bar stock to finished leaf. And the last photo shows the leaves after they've been given a bit of personality.

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Next Kyle created the frame for the railing, forged the branches and set them in place, and finally added the leaves. 

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And here it is installed! From this photo, you can see there is a slight turn to the steps, an important detail to keep in mind when measuring and laying out the design. For an interior railing, our favorite finish is a clear wax that shows off the natural beauty of forged steel.

Tiny Mosaics art series

Johannah has been exploring a new-to-her technique of setting tesserae (mosaic tile) directly in mortar, rather than gluing tiles and then grouting over them. This is the method used to create the ancient Byzantine and Roman mosaics, as well as an ever-growing body of gorgeous work by modern mosaic artists. She's created a line of miniature pieces in this technique using reclaimed and found materials alongside traditional smalti, a thick opaque glass.

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Working in groups or series is a great way to explore an idea from multiple angles. The top two photos are pieces that center on a found object. The tiny dolls in the top left poke fun at the unrealistic body imagery our culture has for women and men alike. The shape of the found object itself is the focus in the three pieces in the top right photo.

The series in the bottom left photo are miniature landscapes: snow shadows, a drop of rain in a puddle, and a view of kudzu overtaking a rusty train bridge. Finally, the series in the bottom right plays with all sorts of ideas: texture, pattern, color, and negative space, just to name a few!

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These last two series started out as lines created from reclaimed terracotta pottery. These pieces are all about the material: the soft color and rich texture of the terracotta, as well as the way the terracotta plays against the bright blue and green reclaimed ceramic and soft gray of the concrete.

You can find a limited selection of these tiny pieces up in our Etsy shop. 

Introducing: Lucia Metal Studios

Etsy has been such a great online home for us that we've opened a second shop! This one is dedicated to Kyle's small-scale handforged home goods. You can still find collaborations with Johannah, furniture, and many customer favorites in the Phoenix Handcraft Etsy shop. The new shop is metal only, a place for Kyle to experiment with new product ideas and designs.

Here's a peek at some the items you'll find at LUCIA METAL STUDIOS. Stop by and tell us what you think! 

Among the very first new items Kyle created for the shop was a set of drink coasters in forged steel and cork with a forge steel stand. Protect your surfaces from water rings with clean, modern style. Win win! Next came a set of forged stainless steel kebab skewers. The set of skewers includes six different designs, and best of all, they're dishwasher safe!

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Meet the new Altamont Bracket! Heavy duty mantle brackets (above) and the lighter duty shelf bracket (below). Traditional rivets and hammer-texturing plus Kyle's classic clean style give this modern bracket a timeless feel.

And that's just the beginning. Kyle is churning out the new ideas and we're regularly updating the shop. Stay tuned for lots more to come!

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