Category: Penland People

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Featured Artist, Dan Estabrook

Film by Luke Walden

For over thirty years, Dan Estabrook has been making contemporary art using a variety of 19th-century photographic techniques, including calotype negatives, salt prints, gum bichromate prints, ambrotypes, and tintypes. His interest in photography has been complemented by forays into sculpture, painting, and drawing.

Dan is one of two Featured Artists for the 38th Annual Penland Benefit Auction. A joyous celebration of craft and community, the auction is Penland’s major annual fundraiser.

Dan has exhibited widely and has received several awards, including an NEA Artist’s fellowship. He is the subject of a documentary film by Anthropy Arts, and he teaches alternative photographic processes as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute in New York. He lives and works in Brooklyn.

Dan first came to Penland as a studio assistant in 1992, and since then he has taught over a dozen times, including several eight-week concentration workshops. His Penland workshops are lively, messy, and filled with joy and conversation. He has also been part of Penland as a visiting artist, a curator, a symposium organizer, and a member of the design committee for the school’s beautiful photo studio. Although he describes himself as a lifelong city boy, he says, “the mountains will always be my other home.”

This video shows the creation of Dan’s work, “Dumb Skulls Forever,” generously donated to the Penland Benefit Auction in support of Penland’s mission of making lives meaningful through making.

Dan Estabrook
Dumb Skulls Forever
Black glass ambrotype
14 x 17 inches

To learn more about the Penland Benefit Auction: https://penland.org/support-penland/a…

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Inspired by Elizabeth Brim, Part 1

Twenty Artists

Elizabeth Brim is the 2023 Penland School of Craft Outstanding Artist Educator. She will be celebrated this August at the 38th annual Penland Benefit Auction. In honor of the occasion, 20 blacksmiths who are near and dear to Elizabeth have created special works of art, inspired by her. These accomplished craftspeople have worked with her, learned from her, and are her friends. Today, we are highlighting 10 of those artists. Stay tuned for part two!

Custom Centerpieces for the Penland Benefit Auction

When guests sit down under the tent at the Penland Benefit Auction, tables will be graced with a specially created work of art, inspired by the Outstanding Artist Educator. At Penland, we refer to these works as “cynosures;” objects that are the center of attraction, strongly drawing attention by their brilliance, interest, etc. These pieces are sold during the weekend so they can become a special treasure in the home of one of our auction guests. This year a remarkable group of friends, colleagues, and students of Elizabeth Brim have created a spectacular group of pieces in steel.

Cynosures will be available for purchase at the Penland Benefit Auction, beginning at noon on Saturday.  To bid remotely you may contact Cindy Gibson, absentee bid coordinator, at 828.765.2359 x 1308 or email bidding@penland.org. Cynosures are $395 each.

The Penland Benefit Auction gala weekend will take place on August 26th and 27th. Penland’s team is working hard to pull off our biggest fundraising event of the year, when we will welcome dear friends to our mountain campus. Haven’t purchased your tickets yet? You can find them HERE.

Stunning Works in Steel

Today we are highlighting works by Autumn Brown, Vivian Beer, James D. W. Cooper, Megan E. Crowley, Andy Dohner, Seth Gould, Warren Holzman, Marvin Jensen, Rachel Kedinger, and Dave MacDonald, created in honor of Elizabeth Brim.

Stay tuned for part two!

 

Autumn Brown
Peony Pillar
Forged and fabricated steel
17 x 7-1/2 x 7 inches

I was introduced to Elizabeth’s work while I was a student at the University of Georgia in 2003 and was instantly fascinated by her and captivated by the delicate fortitude that emanated from her work.  Elizabeth and her work have had a tremendous impact on my confidence to proceed as a female metalsmith.

—

Vivian Beer
For Brim
Steel, patina, black candle
8 x 10 x 10 inches

When asked to celebrate Elizabeth Brim, I immediately thought of the pillow. She has taught metal inflation to countless students, and the combination of play and danger in this process is the perfect metaphor for Elizabeth’s work. They are flowers, but dangerous flowers. It’s feminine fashion, but it’s made of iron. Some of teaching and of being part of our making community is about what you make, but it’s also about how you treat people. Elizabeth gives us a trailblazing example through her work, but I think, perhaps in equal measure, her legacy will be the friendships she fosters and the connections she creates for us all. 

—

James D. W. Cooper
Iron Orchids
Iron, paint
24 x 9 × 9 × inches

I love plants and flowers, and the work of my friend Elizabeth has served as an inspiration for incorporating floral forms into some of my work. So it seems appropriate to celebrate her great contribution to artistic blacksmithing through the presentation of flowers. Elizabeth and I have been friends and colleagues for more years than I care to count. Her work and vibrant personality have inspired me frequently throughout my career.

—

Maegan E. Crowley
For a Friend
Forged and fabricated steel
14 x 6 x 6 inches

Elizabeth was one of my first blacksmithing teachers, she taught me how to forge-weld. I still have my first forge welded piece, a piece of quarter-inch round steel. One end is my first attempt, which I burned and ruined. Elizabeth said, “That’s alright, try it again.” So the other end has the successful attempt at the same technique. I keep it on my workbench to remind me to try again. This flower is made with that same technique.


—

Andy Dohner
Colored Pencils
Forged and fabricated steel, paint
9 x 5 x 5 inches

Beginning in 2002, Elizabeth and I spent time together over eight years setting up forging exhibitions all over the country. She encouraged me to develop an eye and to forge with finesse. We became friends, we became peers, we became part of a family!!! This piece could function as a sculpture or a flower vase.

—

Seth Gould
The Blacksmith’s Candle Holder
Steel
141/2 x 31/2 x 31/2 inches

My first class at Penland was the 2011 Spring Concentration in iron with Elizabeth Brim, and I can’t imagine a better way to have been introduced to Penland and its values. It was a fun, meaningful, and memorable experience, and Elizabeth opened my eyes to the richness of the Penland community and the field of blacksmithing. She continues to be an inspiration as someone who defines the value of relationships and the connection through all crafts. 

—

Warren Holzman
Calicem, Purificatorium, and Lumina
Steel, candles
131/2 x 9 x 9 inches 

The piece is reminiscent of a ritual chalice on which lit candles stand. Stamped repoussé portraits of Elizabeth Brim ornament the base. Twenty-eight years ago, Elizabeth was the only smith I know who was using steel to represent the soft character of cloth and upholstery, so I have included an element representing cloth. I also wanted to capture something of Elizabeth’s maximalist design impulse in my piece. Elizabeth has had a huge influence on me as an artist and blacksmith. Her unwavering support for me and my work, like her  commitment to blacksmithing and Penland School, have been remarkable. I am honored to call her my friend.

—

Marvin Jensen
Flower Vase
Anodized aluminum
8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 x inches
fabricated and anodized aluminum

It’s an honor to be able to say that I was Elizabeth’s first metals instructor.

—

Rachel Kedinger
Pitcher and Cup Set
Steel, enamel
Pitcher: 5 x 6 x 4 inches; cups: 2-1/2 x 2-1/2 x  2-1/2 inches

This pitcher and these cups are mild steel that has been welded, inflated, and enameled. I learned the inflation technique from Elizabeth Brim in a Penland workshop. I first met her in the summer of 2014, and over the years she has taught me so much about metalwork and life. I am forever grateful to call her a friend and mentor. She is generous and kind and a truly wonderful human who represents what I love about Penland.  

—

Dave MacDonald
Power of The Pearls
Mild steel, rivets, enamel paint, wax finish
14 x 12 x 4 inches

When I signed up for an eight-week Concentration workshop with Elizabeth brim, she contacted me to make sure I understood that it was a beginning-level class. She noted that on my application I said that I had been blacksmithing since 1990, which was true. I said, “I want to be a beginner again with you and learn it all over.” Elizabeth did not disappoint me. I remember watching with a sort of awe at perhaps our first demon, when she taught the class how to build a fire at the forge. She made it a graceful, patient, and almost magical process. It was like I was seeing the craft from a totally new vantage point, and I was in love with it all over again. Elizabeth and Penland helped me forever reshape how I approach my craft, and I am deeply grateful to her and for my times at Penland. 

Stay tuned for part two, featuring ten more artists!

 

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“When it comes to letters, we agree.”

Generous instructors exploring their craft with students of all ages and all levels
“Brush Lettering and Sign Painting” with Jon Bocksel and Kenji Nakayama

Friends and Collaborators
Jon Bocksel and Kenji Nakayama, co-instructors of summer session three workshop “Brush Lettering and Sign Painting” are friends, collaborators, and kindred spirits when it comes to their creative practices. Both are sought-after sign painters and fine artists with a focus on lettering. They met about 10 years ago as participating artists in a group show. Perceiving a kinship between their work, the curator made a point of introducing them.

“At the time,” said Jon, “I had a gold leaf job in about three weeks. I was pretty nervous about it, so I asked Kenji if he would be willing to work with me…. So we worked together and stayed up late and had a lot of fun and made a lot of jokes, and we became good friends.” Since that time, the pair has continued to work together, keeping in touch despite a four-hour journey between them. In the summer of 2022, they had a two-person show at the same gallery where they first met.

When Penland approached Kenji about teaching a workshop, he knew immediately that he would like to collaborate with Jon. “When it comes to letters,” said Kenji, “we agree.” Both are interested in single stroke and legible letters. Informed by calligraphy and ancient lettering, their practices focus on the kinesthetics of brush strokes and embrace the beauty of the human hand. Neither focuses their efforts on decorating and filling in the negative space, preferring instead to allow the letters to speak for themselves. 

“Eyeballer,” a collaboration between instructors Jon Bocksel and Kenji Nakayama, including crushed mica collected from the North Toe River near Penland. The piece was donated and auctioned off in support of Penland’s scholarship program.

Co-instructors
For two weeks at Penland, Jon and Kenji demonstrated techniques, guided their students, and made several collaborative pieces. The workshop focused on brush-written letters and sign-trade techniques, with lots of hands-on exercises to help students improve their “eyeballing” skills, sensitivity to shapes and lines, and light/dark balance. As with any Penland workshop, this class was immersive; students focused exclusively on brush lettering and sign painting, improving quickly over two weeks. Students in the class could not say enough nice things about Jon and Kenji, noting their clear instruction, endless patience, contagious enthusiasm, and generosity with their time.

All ages and all levels
Jon and Kenji’s workshop was open to students of “all levels.” At Penland, this means that the class accommodates beginners, intermediate, and advanced students. Beginners are introduced to a whole new practice and intermediate and advanced students further their skills. “The group really gelled,” said L.A., who has taken a number of Penland workshops. “Even though we are different ages, different backgrounds… that usually happens here at Penland.” Studio assistant Andy Ferro remarked that working with some beginners allowed him to step back and articulate some of the foundational things that have become muscle memory in his sign painting practice. “You become aware of them again and reteach yourself,” he told us. 

“They worked a miracle with me.”
“I had never really used a brush,” said Sally, a student in the class who is currently enjoying her retirement. On the last day of the workshop, Sally reflected on how far she had come as she placed the final touches on a metal sign reading “Be Still My Heart.” “Last Monday this was inconceivable,” she said, “and now they worked a miracle with me.”

Sally went from never using a brush to creating work she is excited about.

“Mom was so right about Penland.”
Perhaps the best illustration of the rich, intergenerational exchanges that happen at Penland was a mom and her twin children, recent college grads, who took the workshop together. L.A. has been coming to Penland for about 10 years (even relocating to the area about two years ago) and was excited to share the experience with two of her children. The family entered the class as peers and enjoyed competing with one another to create the best work they could.

“I wouldn’t say I was the most creative or artsy person, so I didn’t think I was going to love it,” said Jaya, L.A.’s daughter who recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. “But it has just been the most amazing and magical experience, and I understand why my mom loves this place so much and literally picked up her life to move down the road.” Jaya’s brother Naveen, who recently graduated from Trinity College, agrees. “We feel like this class and these teachers are insanely special,” he said. Soon, Jaya will move to Los Angeles. and Naveen to London. In the meantime, they plan to do a lot of practicing and expanding their newfound artistic outlet. “I am so glad we got to experience this together,” said L.A.

Left to Right: Jaya, L.A., and Naveen; two recent college grads took the workshop with their mom

“We will all be able to make much more effective and beautiful signs.”
Studio assistant Andy Ferro, who first met Kenji four years ago when Kenji was the studio assistant for Andy’s first brush lettering workshop, experienced a full circle moment at Penland. These days, Andy is a sign painter in New York, often working alongside Jon.

For Andy, who is a big admirer of both Jon and Kenji’s work, the two-week workshop (where he was also a student) was a profound experience. Andy believes that the real strength of the class was the deep way in which Jon and Kenji were able to explain the importance of the balance of contrast, whether that be color value or stroke weight in the letter. “We will all be able to make much more effective and beautiful signs now,” he said.

Studio assistant Andy Ferro learned so much from Jon and Kenji.

Jon and Kenji left behind some very helpful signage for the Drawing and Painting studio.