CONTAINER SERIES

The roots of my steel practice date back to 2008, when I began working for my maternal family’s 140 year old steel fabrication business, Bemberg Iron Works, located in Little Rock, Arkansas. When I first stepped foot in the shop, my uncle Richard, who had worked at the business since his teenage years, took me under his wing, teaching me the trade, nurturing and looking out for me in a new, unfamiliar environment. The relationship I developed with Richard throughout my 7 years in industry was priceless, and I still credit him as the most influential person in my practice. In 2016, shortly after I left industry to pursue a fellowship at Penland School of Craft, Richard was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It quickly took over his body, and, four weeks later, he was no longer with us. The devastation that this loss dealt our family was severe. Richard always expressed a desire to be cremated, and, upon his cremation, my family asked me to make a simple urn for him that would be buried next to my grandparents’ plots. The experience of making Richard's urn led to this container and vessel series. Comprised of heavy steel plate and structural steel forms, these containers serve as references to industry and celebrate the life of a man who helped set me on my own path.