Artist Blacksmiths Forge

E. Vega Studios Apex, North Carolina

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360° panoramic view of main studio work area. (click image to view larger image)

It's been a work-in-progress, my shop that is! I have been adding equipment and floor space to my studio for over 15 years so that today, I have a place which gives me the ability to handle large scale commissions along with other projects which may include furniture, lighting, small sculptures, and what have you. If you look closely to the panoramic view detail, you will notice the original tobacco storage barn that I started with. The main shop floor pictured in this panorama was the last addition and is where the bulk of the forging and fabrication is done.

 

"Keep thy shop, and thy shop will keep thee," wrote Marston, Chapman and Jonson in 1605. This holds true even today in my shop and design studio.

When I first purchased the three acres with an old tobacco barn in the Jordan Lake region of North Carolina, I never thought that it would turn out to be what it is today. It's not the largest shop, nor is it the best outfitted, but it's my place for creative work and play. I feel fortunate to be alive and to have the opportunity to live in the country with the freedom to create whatever pleases me.

The photo to the right shows the original blacksmiths forge where I worked for many years. It has two coal forges, a 25lb. Little Giant mechanical hammer, a twisting machine made from an elevator motor, my three phase converter, steel rack, and wooden work table with a metal shear.

Double forge & Little Giant trip hammer in original barn

"Zelda" loves to mush metal!

Speaking of big hammers. What do you think of Zelda? I got this 4B Nazel pneumatic forging hammer from a GM plant that was being re-equiped for modern production. This hammer has the ability to strike with a force of two tons, sixty times per minute. My darling Zelda sounds like an old steam engine train.

Partial panoramic view of upstairs design room

Every morning after I have my coffee, I get ready for work and simply go out the front door of my house and walk about a hundred feet to my studio. North Carolina is known for it's thick foliage and even though my studio is close to the road, it is concealed by large oaks and pines.

The very first addition I made to my shop was a fourteen foot square front entry with a second floor balcony which goes to the office/design room. When clients come to the studio, they always comment on the view and beauty of the surrounding area.

E. Vega Studios summer 1998

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E. Vega Studios

p h o n e : 9 1 9 - 3 6 7 - 7 2 3 3

apex, north carolina

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I feel very fortunate to be able to work and play in my blacksmith shop in rural North Carolina, and I most definitely "Keep Thy Shop" because my shop keeps me!

last refreshed Mon, August 28, 2006
© copyright 1998 E. Vega Studios