The Designer

My goal is to use metal to help bring a space to life. I want the viewer to be inspired to describe my work in adjectives not nouns; strong, quiet, dramatic-as opposed to railing, chandelier, chair. I design metal to activate and participate in the space it occupies. Using the patterns and design concepts found in nature, I allow the metal forms to become their own being, rather than force them to strictly represent or imitate nature.

Photo: by Jenny Thomas at the studio of Shawn Lovell

My work can be viewed as functional art. I have found no reason to separate architecture from sculpture, furniture from art, the visual from the tactile. I seek to create interactive, functional, structurally sound art-chitectural pieces that people feel compelled to touch, objects which are both whimsical and ominous at once. The works I have produced have ranged in scale from small objects to substantial architectural installations throughout the California Bay Area.

My studio, in Oakland, California, is a fully equipped blacksmith and welding shop and design facility. I contract with a structural engineer as needed and have close relationships with artisans who can provide additional elements such as cast metals and glass. My educational experience includes an illustration degree from Columbus College of Art and Design, which enables me to produce lively and accurate renderings in the early design phases.