An Ohio Metalsmith in Dresden

At the beginning of this blog detailing my studio experiences here in Dresden I asked the mostly rhetorical question as to why would any metalsmith in their "right mind leave the comfort of a fully stocked and spacious metalworking studio, jam 70 odd pounds of iron into a crate, and head off to some distant faraway land with only the most basic of plans as to what will happen once they get there?"  Now that I have been here nearly three months and have taken way too many photographs I think I can now answer the question definitively with a extensive photo barrage of metalworking treats.  So here goes, in no particular order.....

The amazing museum displays of jewelry and metalworking amassed by numerous generations of acquisitive royalty.

The exuberant use of ironworking on palaces, governmental buildings, and victorian apartment complexes.

Several hundred years of liturgical metalworking in the local cathedrals and cemetaries.

The extensively use of Art Nouveau styled metalwork in the late 1800's mansions around Dresden.

The early industrial use of iron on bridges, train stations, and other massive structures of the period.

Doors.....

The chance to buy lovely examples of historical German metalworking at the local flea markets and antique shops.

The sculptural odes to metalworkers on buildings across Saxony.

And of course the chance to have as much time as necessary to spend on ones work, as well as to meet the many friendly and creative people of Dresden (more on that in the next and final blog entry).