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"MidSouthLiving" ArticleDelightful
METALWORKS DESIGN
STUDIOS CRAFTS EACH PIECE AS A WORK OF FINE ART Although he usually employs two full-time blacksmiths and one full-time apprentice, some larger projects can have as many as ten blacksmiths working on them. "For some big jobs," said Couillard, "I can collaborate with other blacksmiths at their own shops. The blacksmithing community here is not like other crafts - it's not extremely closed and competitive, which is another neat thing about Memphis. The atmosphere here, at least in the blacksmithing community, is one of sharing among crafts people. The nature of what we do is hands on, and is sometimes slow work, so we frequently work together." Couillard handles a great deal of his work in his shop
on Broad Street, where he maintains several firing areas and all the mold, hammers, tongs
and other assorted tools for shaping lengths of straight metal into ornate curving
designs. "In this studio we can make anything from a pinkie ring to a suspension
bridge, if that's what you want," said Couillard. He operates two forges, one heated
by propane gas and the other by the old-fashioned coal. "There are some things you
just can't work on without the advantages of a coal fire," said Couillard. "A
gas-driven forge heats entire hunks of metal, large pieces at one time, with no way to
direct and shape the flame, allowing the blacksmith to work with just a tiny piece of
metal at a time, which allows intricate work to be completed and details to be forged.
Even though we are into the 21st century, much of the blacksmithing or metalworking craft
is still forged on tools and with instruments and mold that have not changed for
centuries." As much as housing designs and technology have changed the face of modern
man's living quarters through furniture and decorative arts, the craft of metalsmithing
endures. Only the designs and the faces of the craftspeople change with this art forged in
time. Metalworks Design Studio is located at |
When I came to Memphis as
the NEA artist, I liked the city so much I decided to stay after my residency. I had also
just about had it with Michigan winters," he laughed. "Through the Metal Museum
I made a number of excellent connections, and Memphis offered a far more favorable
climate, too, for metalworking." After his residency, Couillard opened a little art
gallery downtown and then went into crafting custom iron furniture for the area's interior
design community. He works primarily with the interior designers because "they have
the connections to people who want this type of work but who don't know about me."
But · he also works with architects, builders and the general public. "I work with
my customers in three ways," said Couillard. "One, they show me a space and I
fill it with my own concept and design. Two, they show me a picture of something they want
me to replicate. Or three, I collaborate with the customer and we work together to create
a vision." Couillard also handles commissioned work, including sculpture, which often
shows his whimsical side. "I like to think of what we do here at Metalworks as
forging heirlooms," he said. "We take great pride in our work. My roots are in
gold and silversmithing, as are many blacksmiths'. We therefore finish all our projects -
large or small - like a piece of jewelry. Every joint is ground out, finished and
polished. Even each weld in a piece of furniture is smoothed out and polished. This is one
thing that makes my work (furniture) more expensive than what many blacksmiths could
produce - the finished aspect to it. This difference is apparent if one looks closely at
my work and compares it to some other blacksmithing, especially if the smith does not have
jewelry-making background." Between the Memphis College of Art, which teaches jewelry
making and metalworking, and the National Ornamental Metal Museum and its steady flow of
artisans, Couillard has a rich pool of metal artists in the city and surrounding area from
which to draw for various projects.
