Forged Bronze Cross with Lilies

Some our readers may remember Kyle and his team created a double-leaf tree gate for a local church a few years ago. They reached out to us again when they were ready for the next phase of their courtyard redesign. This part of the project included the creation of a decorative bronze cross.

{Click or tap images to enlarge.}

Forging the lilies was the most intricate part of this project. In the last photo above, you can see some of the process. Kyle starts with a billet of bronze, then forges that out into a sheet. From there he forges the flower itself.

Below you can see photos of the finished cross and lilies. The first two photos are at our old studios in Richmond. The last one shows the piece installed in the church’s courtyard garden.

Forged Steel and Mosaic Custom Garden Sculpture

If you know us at all, you maaay have noticed combining our skills to create mosaic and steel collaborations is one of our very favorite things to do. Can we tell you just how thrilled we were when this client approached us to create a custom garden sculpture in both forged steel and mosaic?

{Click smaller images to enlarge.}

We based the design for this sculpture around native Virginia plants such as arrowroot, cat tails, pickerelweed, and ferns. Kyle created an organic design incorporating simple geometric shapes to represent the leaves and flowers. In the first step to bring this sculpture to life, Kyle and his team forged the steel framing and organic forms. Next Johannah made the mosaics to fill in the geometric shapes. The mosaics were made on mesh then transferred into the sculpture, glued in place, and finally grouted.

You can see photos of the sculpture installed in the garden below, as well as a few close-up details of the mosaics and forged organic forms.

Steel and mosaic collaboration garden sculpture PH2020 (1).JPG

Tree Gate

A local church here in Richmond, VA commissioned Kyle to create a large double leaf tree gate. He and his team created and installed the gate just in time for Easter morning services at the church.

{Click smaller images to enlarge.}

Forging the leaves and branches was the first step in creating the gate. You can see the forging process above and the tree coming together on the layout table below.

Tree gate in studio PH2019.JPG

It juuust fit in our studios!

And here it is installed, with a few detail shots. Those incredible shadows are almost as beautiful as the gate itself!

Tree Gate PH2019 (1).JPG