Artist Homes: Ramsey

On March 29, 2003 I went on a tour of artist homes and studios in Calgary. Sponsored by the Triangle Gallery, it gave me the opportunity to see inside many abodes that I have often admired from the sidewalk. This home is the second home of eight in this series.

This studio is not a home, but rather a workspace. Given the medium the artist works with it would be unhealthy to combine the two. Located in Ramsey it is out of the main residential area and in the industrial warehouse region. The building itself is the old Co-op Feed Mill which has been gutted and redecorated to suit the artist’s needs. It seemed only appropriate that a metal building house his metal studio and metal sculptures.

He is every techie’s dream artist. His medium is primarily metal and his work consists of armies of armoured cats and mice, wind-up tin toys, space-age inspired items, metalwork ties, and philosophy inspired metal masks. He could have been an artist on the set of Lord of the Rings and could easily be working for the Star Trek crew. His Star Trek Bathroom was the subject on most people’s lips and very much in every conversation throughout the day.

I found his work really intriguing. There is a lot of psychology applied to what he does and I found myself touching everything to try and figure out what the psychology was. To do this type of work you need a deep understanding and appreciation for history and also the mindset that goes with the creation of metal objects. Working with metal is very primeval and thank God people like this study it and keep it alive.