Functional Art
Architectural blacksmith Glenn Gilmore forges ahead
Gilmore in his studio strikes while the
iron is hot. Photo by Tommy McNabb
This expressive and pictorial railing was commissioned
for the corporate headquarters of a major foundation
in Atlanta, Ga. The design elements include squirrels, fox,
birds, rabbits, a person reading a book, oak trees and flowers
all individually hand forged and designed to relate to the
clients’ interests. Photo by Tommy McNabb
This fireplace screen for the Two Feathers Ranch was designed to incorporate the ranch logo with unique hand forged copper feathers, forged steel arrowheads and a southwest Native American pattern for the frame. Photo by Tommy McNabb
This impressive hall table aptly named, Aspen Solace, features a hand formed copper top with a raised ridge design and a steel border band of hand forged aspen leaves and branches set off by a bark texture background. Photo by Tommy McNabb
The
Fleur-de-lis fireplace door in this Vail Valley residence features one of the clients’ two dogs formed from sheet copper using repousse, an ancient metalsmithing technique, where many
small tools and hammer blows are used to bring the image to life. Photo By:
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SOME PEOPLE CREATE ART IN A QUIET PLACE FULL OF PEACE, IN A SPACE WHERE CREATIVITY CAN BUBBLE TO THE SURFACE AND OVERFLOWS ONTO A PAGE OR CANVAS.
But not Glenn Gilmore. His art is forged in furnaces, pounded and twisted on anvils. His creation process singes the hair on his hands and forces him to wear safety glasses and earplugs. It involves heavy hammers and the sharp sound of metal on metal.
Gilmore calls himself an architectural blacksmith. His art is functional. What he creates, whether it is a set of fireplace doors or a staircase railing, has to serve a practical purpose as well as add beauty to a room. A railing keeps you from falling, he explains. A fireplace door keeps sparks and embers contained.
“It goes beyond the utilitarian functionality of the piece,” Gilmore said. “It adds to the whole interior design.”
For the last 34 years Gilmore has been refining his craft as an award-winning metal artist.
  
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