JBrandvik
Elite Cafe Member
Horses and their accoutrements have always been a part of my life. About ten years ago I had the idea of embellishing horseshoes. I should say I was struck with the idea. It was one of those nagging ideas that pressed on my mind continuously and refused to go away. I developed my idea further using the only tools I had any mastery of, namely pencil and paper.
Over the course of several years, I must have drawn a hundred pictures of fancy horseshoes before I finally succumbed to the fact that I would need to learn to engrave in order to bring the idea to fruition.
As far back as I can remember, I had always enjoyed drawing. I reasoned that since I could draw reasonably well, engraving would be little different, so I took my first tentative steps toward becoming an engraver. How naïve that reasoning was.
The realization that engraving was the means by which to realize my idea of embellishing horseshoes was the beginning of an amazing journey. That nagging idea of turning a utilitarian object as mundane as a steel horseshoe into an heirloom and the accumulation of the skills necessary to do so, has continued to pervade my waking thoughts.
This has been (and continues to be) a journey which has led me many places and has placed many good people in my path. It is a journey which has been lonely at times. There have been many who have scoffed at the very idea. There have been times when the worth of my idea has been challenged and when I have considered abandoning the journey altogether. But just as my conviction has threatened to falter, there has always appeared some harbinger of hope.
Foremost has been my wife, whose unfailing support has given me both the freedom and encouragement to pursue my ideas. Then there have been many iconic figures in the engraving community who have provided their insight and experience. John Barraclaugh, Ray Cover, Steve Ellsworth, Steve Lindsay, Sam Alfano, Ron Smith, Weldon Lister to name a few and the countless others who have given of their time and knowledge.
Among the engraving community, I have kept the idea close to my breast until I have had a couple of years to refine my idea to the point where I could show it to my peers with some small measure of pride. I have waited long enough to realize that my education will never be complete and that the work I see in my mind’s eye will never be seen by the eyes in the front of my face.
My website has been live for about six months now and I would invite you to drop in and leave a comment on the guestbook.
All my best for the New Year,
Over the course of several years, I must have drawn a hundred pictures of fancy horseshoes before I finally succumbed to the fact that I would need to learn to engrave in order to bring the idea to fruition.
As far back as I can remember, I had always enjoyed drawing. I reasoned that since I could draw reasonably well, engraving would be little different, so I took my first tentative steps toward becoming an engraver. How naïve that reasoning was.
The realization that engraving was the means by which to realize my idea of embellishing horseshoes was the beginning of an amazing journey. That nagging idea of turning a utilitarian object as mundane as a steel horseshoe into an heirloom and the accumulation of the skills necessary to do so, has continued to pervade my waking thoughts.
This has been (and continues to be) a journey which has led me many places and has placed many good people in my path. It is a journey which has been lonely at times. There have been many who have scoffed at the very idea. There have been times when the worth of my idea has been challenged and when I have considered abandoning the journey altogether. But just as my conviction has threatened to falter, there has always appeared some harbinger of hope.
Foremost has been my wife, whose unfailing support has given me both the freedom and encouragement to pursue my ideas. Then there have been many iconic figures in the engraving community who have provided their insight and experience. John Barraclaugh, Ray Cover, Steve Ellsworth, Steve Lindsay, Sam Alfano, Ron Smith, Weldon Lister to name a few and the countless others who have given of their time and knowledge.
Among the engraving community, I have kept the idea close to my breast until I have had a couple of years to refine my idea to the point where I could show it to my peers with some small measure of pride. I have waited long enough to realize that my education will never be complete and that the work I see in my mind’s eye will never be seen by the eyes in the front of my face.
My website has been live for about six months now and I would invite you to drop in and leave a comment on the guestbook.
All my best for the New Year,
