Especially to David as he Retires:
Around the turn of the century, I put some barkless, sun grayed, weathered twisting character sticks together into a rather amazing figure with a ‘walking stick’, that could be described as either walking one way or another; both sides compelling the eye to view it in either pose. It was remarkable enough to stimulate me to think of doing something to immortalize it. It was a break from my fine and custom furniture making
business and other custom building, although I was veering more and more toward natural materials along with the hardwoods and the like.
Through a series of queries, my step-daughter, Corey Ponder, heard about my queries around and she had a student aid job of helping out the head of a college woodworking shop or some such at UNM and he knew a man named David Lobdell,who was the head of a foundry course at Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico. He gave me a phone number, I called David and set up an appointment to meet him. He said I could make molds, then bronze cast them or even make them into cast iron. This led to me driving down as many as 3 days a week the first year and doing the course for two years or so, making rubber molds of the original 3 sticks, then, eventually, a few more for other ‘stick guys’ I made and then making waxes, then investing the wax with a high tech ceramic mold, then burning out the wax and making bronze bronze castings and then, eventually, joined in on pouring cast iron, then being a member of the ‘Iron Tribe’, then a member of the Western Cast Iron Art Alliance, traveling to Denver, Missoula, Laramie and Las Vegas. This became a big part of my life, leading to me setting up my own bronze foundry at my ‘ranch’, Adventure Trails Ranch in Spirit Valley, Lower Cañoncito, where I cast, with the help of Ben Remmers and others. Including generous gifts of a wonderful furnace and numerous materials and bronze from Harry Leippe, the retired former director and original person to set up and run the Highland's foundry many years ago.
He often said that he was amazed at my castings, which he did not think would ‘work’ or come out as successfully as they did. I then was in a gallery on Canyon Road in Santa Fe and also cast a rather amazing large project making a bronze balustrade for a helical staircase at a house known as the Crescent House on Santa Fe, also the reason for building a foundry. I even wrote a piece called ‘The 51 Steps to Make a Bronze’, the last step being lugging the piece back from the gallery.
Years have gone by and I have, to my knowledge, been the ‘oldest’ person in these circles of men and women who learned to do cast iron, in particular, using no cranes; hand carrying and pouring ladles of molten Iron into multiple molds in large production settings. Needless to say; it is very dangerous work, requiring great attention to safety and protocol.
I am now 72 years old and still climbing ladders (I have a 30’ tall water pumping windmill to maintain and welding, building things, operating my backhoe, dump truck and tractor, log splitter, etc., with some trepidation, cutting and pruning trees with only occasional ‘dread’; stopping me in my tracks). In short, I operate a 40 acre ranchito/homestead doing all that is necessary, despite my age. I am, though, taking more precautions because of my age.
The subject is on the table and so now I want to address it realistically based on my actual realities.
Last spring, I guess it was, I went to Las Vegas for an Iron pour with the Iron Tribe. I had donated a large amount of cast iron earlier and came down to join in. I had often played my guitar and sang, etc , for parts of the Iron pours for all these years, becoming sort of a ‘thing’ for the pours; suited up, pouring (including my sometimes bizarre ‘outsider’ reactive molds with buffalo gourds.
The iron work, in particular, is great ‘therapy’ for such as me who has been married to a tape measure and more or less meticulous woodcraft and furniture; with the buffalo gourds and natural forms, I could throw away the tape, make very rough textured pieces with no endless sanding and finishing, so I grew to love that style, despite the obvious crudeness and bizarre aspects.
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/pasatiempo/art/from-buffalo-gourds-to-cast-iron-pours-artist-thor-sigstedt-finds-inspiration-in-nature/article_2495a29e-a64a-59d6-abb1-6e3f79e51806.html
then grabbing my guitar and sort of entertaining over or under the roars of the blowers and furnaces; sometimes acoustic, often electric. Not sure many really liked my country/folk/rock/blues; mostly folksy stuff, yet I played alone or with others who might want to join in or go solo, too, for a while. Anyway, I am known for it.
This time, as I was decked out in my leathers and was wielding large steel breaking bars and sledges; busting the old cast iron heaters and other scraps, like sinks and tubs, etc; busting them up with great vigor and aplomb, David walked up and suggested that perhaps I shouldn't pour this time; just play music for us. I was floored, astonished and baffled, not that visibly angry, yet disturbed and managed to blurt out more or less calmly, “David, I am still viable!”.
This has stuck with me ever since and then there is an upcoming WCIAA pour and activities in El Cajon in a few weeks and I have a few more days to make up my mind to get a refund for my prepaid enrollment or bow out. I am also an incurable couples dancer and have this inability to just listen to music, a concert, etc and not being able to dance is a form of torture for me. It is a real thing
So now I am thinking that just watching others pour, standing totally on the sidelines and …. watching…. could also be torture! Like the piece I got juried into the show in El Cajon, I am hands on and my piece of art is meant to be touched!
Now David may know something that I don't or have an age limit in mind and wants to be careful that he or he through me or me through him; do not endanger others. I respect that. Harry came to my foundry to help and we had to slowly realize it was best he not be a direct part of the pour; even operating the ‘buttons’. So, this is a real thing and, ironically, I am in the process of making molds and waxes; quite a few, and cranking up my own foundry right now, so this is all very interesting to me how things are evolving and the kinds of decisions this old man is faced with…..
In solidarity and with deep memories of staring into the twinkling unimaginably hot ladles of molten iron; like staring into a volcano and god and all the rest of the processes that we alone know as our profound experiences in working together as members of the ‘Iron Tribe’!
Hmmm…..
Thor Sigstedt
82 Spirit Valley
Santa Fe, NM 87508
adventuretrails@gmail.com
Note:
I also wish to honor David Lobdell for his truly amazing many years of the work of teaching and supporting the efforts of students, including myself, and comrades; to do foundry work of all sorts. His impact on so many will ripple out into the future in an amazing way! I honor this man for that and his one of a kind personality that honors creation and art in his own powerful, special way which is, along with the other disciplines; hands on, hands on, hands on!! You are The Man!
