st. udio

This is the second post in my series on artists and their spaces. St. Udio is the workshop of blacksmith Andy Flage. Andy is pictured above, and my dear friend Mike Harboldt is the guy in the hat. Rachel is the young woman in the blue sweatshirt, and I wish I had gotten more of her.

"Too many blacksmiths are satisfied if the work is done so as to pass, regardless as to details and accuracy. These men are a disgrace to their vocation, and they too often regulate wages to be paid, and as the number increases more rapidly than that of the good workman, they will interfere the more seriously with wages in the future.
...
If he can create beautiful forms in his mind, and with his hands shape the metal to those forms, then he can see poetry in his work. If he is but a machine that performs his work automatically, the dull prose of his occupation makes him dissatisfied and unmanly."
--a quote by Coach, Harness, and Saddlery, taken from the book Practical Blacksmithing by M.T. Richardson, written in Andy's hand the fifth photo up. 

Visiting St. Udio was like being in another world for me. I have two little girls, I live in a home that is so full of beauty: color, warmth, and my own blend of mid century, modern, and vintage elements. Being in this workshop I saw beauty in a different form-- the form of raw materials, machinery, fire, welding masks and dirty hands. I asked Andy, as I was taking his portrait, what was his favorite aspect of his work, and his reply was something like "...going home after a hard day's work and washing my hands." I could sense the satisfaction from these people in seeing their labor come to life; and really, the satisfaction in the labor itself.

You can see an example of a recently completed installation here and you can find the facebook page here.

Hope y'all are as impacted by this series as I have. It is so good to come beside other artists, affirm their work, celebrate what they're doing and how important their contribution to this world is. 

Be back soon with more.
xo