Roses
Everything old is new again.
Traditionally forged roses hold a striking contradiction of fragility and permanence.
David has used the rose throughout his practice as a signature form — as embellishment within significant sculptures and as singular objects d’art.
More than 30 years ago, while training with Swiss German master blacksmith Bernhard Whurst, David forged hundreds of roses under his tutelage and developed the high level of skill such work demands.
Over the decades since, through countless hours of repetition, hammer control, heat control, shaping and finishing, he has developed his own visual language as a maker.
In blacksmithing, that language comes not only from design, but from the way steel is drawn out, moved under the hammer, controlled in thickness, turned at the edges, shaped into petals and brought to its final finish. Two blacksmiths can begin from the same idea, yet the finished rose will still carry a different hand.
The roses seen here are distinctly David’s own, and have become a recognisable part of his work — appearing in major commissions, memorial art, and even in a L’Oréal campaign.
Forged iron
Various natural and painted patina
Various sizes
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