"Spiral Blooms"

"Spiral Blooms" are a series of sculptures that have been evolving for several years.  I pull long pieces of dripping hot steel from the fire and hammer them to shape under large power hammers in the moments before they cool or before the next piece overheats.  The immediacy, physicality, primal force, rhythm and repetition often induce the mindless totally aware state from which I like to create.  In magic moments all I know and care about flow through me untranslated to conscious thought. 

The inspiration flows from and is inextricably linked to the forging process - the way hot metal moves -- but ideas explored in flute improvisations, nature observations, kayak meditations, or happy accidents from the previous piece enter the mix.  The forgings are executed without the constraints of preconceived ideas on how they will fit into the final composition."

- Christopher Thomson