hello mortals

[Guest ford hallam]

greetings all,

 

I`m Ford Hallam. I`ve been bullied by Jim into intoducing myself as he`s posted a couple of images of an old piece of mine over on the "show and tell" forum.

 

I started off as a goldsmith in the European tradition completing a 5 year apprenticeship in South Africa in `85. Three years later I moved to London as part of my master plan to get to Japan. I`d been bitten by the japanese metalwork bug while at art school the year before I began my formal training.

 

In `93 i finally made it to the land of the rising yen with the help of a Winston Churchill travelling fellowship. My teacher Izumi Koshiro, has been extremely supportive of my efforts to enter his tradition and back in `94 he arranged 2 return visits to train and study. This time with the assistance of the Japanese agency for cultural affairs. i remain in close contact with Izumi Sensei and through him his circle of artistic friends. In fact i`m off to see him next month.

 

For the last 10 years or so I`ve been mainly preoccupied with the restoration of Meiji period metalwork. This has been a very lucrative involvement and has also allowed me to really get under the skin of some of the finest metalwork ever produced.

 

At this point in my career I find myself with a rather unique insight into my adopted tradition and a reasonable facility with regard to the technology it has employed. The challenge that I face now is trying to find an authentic expression of my own. Having spent so long working in isolation I`m wondering if the ineraction on this forum will act as a catalyst for me.

 

Thanks to the creators of this sanctuary for little chiselers.

 

best regards,

 

ford

[Janel]

Thanks, Ford, for introducing yourself!

 

Thanks, Jim, for bullying Ford!

 

We all win with you here. I hope that what you seek will find some bit of insight from our diverse group.

 

Janel

[Jim Kelso]

Welcome mate

[Guest Clive]

Welcome Bro