DAN & RUTHANN DAVENPORT    

I enjoy living on the land I helped my grandfather farm many years ago. He lived in the house, my mother raised four children in this house, and after some extensive remodeling, my wife, Ruthann, and I now live in the house. It gives me a great sense of belonging to the family members of my youth who are no longer here. I enjoy walking and hunting in my woods. 

Although busier in retirement than I was before I left the police force in 2003, I find life more relaxing. Once retired, I became a full-time artist in metalwork using the art form of repoussé which led to extensive traveling to art shows... the only place I haven't been is West of the Rocky Mountains.

I use repoussé by hand-carving reverse images in a block of steel to create the original pattern. This becomes very challenging when letters, numbers, and faces are used in my pieces. It can take weeks to months to create this original design block as you cannot fix mistakes so I work on this process a little at a time when I know I am fresh and my mind is sharp. You will see my love of nature, my faith, and my commitment to those who serve our country are the inspiration behind much of my artwork.

Recycled aluminum is hammered over the steel pattern which transfers a forward image to the aluminum. The hammering process requires precision... if the aluminum doesn't shift while being pounded and the hammer strikes are close enough together, the result is a clear, crisp, and complete image. There are some small processes of sizing, edging, shaping, and finishing the piece but once the pattern is created and hammering completed, the hardest work is done.

And the paperwork, keeping track of our itinerary, paying the bills, and paying taxes, I leave to the expertise of my wife.

I hope my pieces bring you as much enjoyment as I have had in creating them.

Dan Davenport