Visionary Sculpture from Hands and Hard Work
“When do you want it?” my father used to ask me each summer, referring to the one week of free time I would be allotted, either at the beginning or end of each summer break. A naval architect and owner of the Vega Marine boat yard in Long Beach, CA, my father was a direct, laconic man who valued hard work above all else. And for most of each summer, he enlisted my help around the shop.
Each year I mastered a new craft in the business, from rough carpentry to finish carpentry, fiberglassing and mold making, mechanical and hydraulics to electrical wiring. Behind all the work was my father’s firm belief that with a sound set of skills, I could make my own future.
And then, one summer, came the feel and finish of the metal. The instant I was exposed to welding and machining, I realized where I was comfortable. There was a precision to the work and material that I found nowhere else. And better yet, there was the sense that once the work was done it was indeed done.
Both of my parents emigrated from Germany in 1965. My mother stayed home in Redondo Beach, CA, during my childhood, but equally pushed the value of hard work in an effort to steer my brother and me toward a better life. Case in point: it wasn’t uncommon to find my brother and me combing the yard before dawn, looking for dog droppings by flashlight. No rest for the weary, the neighbors might have said. No work for the lazy was more akin to my parents’ belief…and we were lucky to have parents that instilled such an ethic.
Making my way into the world, I completed a Mechanical Engineering program at California State University, Long Beach. I would continue to learn valuable lessons about steel early in my professional career—working with modern spectacles of art and design as a vintage car restorer with McCluskey Ltd., and mastering the finer points of structural engineering as a structural steel and pressure vessel designer. Finally, I decided to set up shop for myself.
I’m a father now with two boys, five and eight years old, and my beautiful wife, Alma, of more than ten years. I’m a family man first, but as my boys are learning their way around my shop, I’ve developed a newfound respect for the myriad lessons I learned at their age.
The words “When do you want it” doesn’t refer to summer break anymore. They refer to a deeper hunger, and commitment—to create work that I truly believe in. Work that is deliberate, timeless, and perfect. I love my work and have made a personal promise to myself to only create work that honors the skill, craftsmanship, artistry, and work ethic that was passed on to me.