>> Announcer: This week on "Eye On The Arts."

>> Madison: The saying goes.

'By hammer and hand, all crafts do stand.'

So there was a point in time where the tailor needed pair of scissors or a needle.

He had to go to blacksmith.

Farmer needs a size sharpen, blacksmith.

Everything was centralized around that smithy.

>> Stephen: It's the mentality of it.

It's the idea that you can go out, you can imagine it, put it on paper.

You can make it.

>> Joe: Like you get a lot of younger artists that ask, "Well, what should I be doing?"

And I go, "When you feel like you're carving your niche, I think that that's when you're on to something."

Everyone's talking about technique.

And when they look at my bikes, they don't know how it was done.

They look at it and they're like, "Is that a wrap?"

I kinda like that people don't know the technique.

It's gotta be a feeling to me like a good song.

>> Jag: It is an escape for sure.

I think that's the whole brain to paper idea for me as I don't think about what I'm gonna do, I just do it.

It's one of the few things I don't have to abide by anybody's rules and I just do it.

And that's what I like about it.

>> Dale: Doing as much as you can, as quickly as you can is important to me.

Life is short and the earlier we get started helping our community, the better off our unity will be.

>> Student: I have a very strong connection to other students.

Everyone makes an effort to help each other.

I'll remember the feeling of being here.

The feeling that I was a part of a family.

(upbeat music) >> Announcer: Support for programming Lakeshore PBS comes in part from generous bequest of the estate of Marjorie A Mills whose remarkable contribution will help us keep viewers like you informed, inspired, and entertained for years to come.

(upbeat music) >> Narrator: Eye on the Arts has made possible in part by South Shore Arts, the Indiana Arts Commission, and The National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Additional support for Lakeshore PBS, and IM arts is provided by viewers like you.

Thank you.

>> I'd been watching blacksmithing videos and I found this piece of rail to track.

I'd known that people would use these things for anvils.

I'm like, that's it.

That's my first piece.

I carried that thing around in the backpack.

Like as I walked around to actually remind me to continue to pursue this thing.

So yeah, I did that for like a year.

I actually ended up building my first forge out of an eight inch frying pan.

So I got some plumbing parts, put it together and a fan from a bathroom and made my first forge.

I would go out to the tracks on the east side of Chicago, where they barge in coal, but there would always be spillovers of coal.

So I'd go out there and collect buckets of coal.

I went for about a year learning how to start a fire and run a fire, 'cause you just have to know it.

And you start realizing, how to make mistakes with fire.

(upbeat music) I enjoy having the capabilities of not so much doing things, but knowing how to figure out how to do things.

That's the real draw.

As a blacksmith, everything is shared.

It's always seems like an equitable arrangement between you and the people that do this.

Everybody wants you to know you're capable.

And if you're not capable right now, let me show you how to be capable.

There's a saying that there's honesty in accuracy.

There's a lot of truth in knowing that you're in a craft that you have a bucket of screw ups.

You know, and every single one of us have it.

So it's nice.

It's humbling.

(car engine roaring) 20 years ago, my dad built a house right across the street and I used to work with my dad and I heard bang!

Bang!

Bang!

one night and I'm like, what is that?

And I'd drive by, and I'd drive by, and I drive by and I'd hear it.

Finally, I pulled in here and I'd met Roger 20 years ago.

I joined the IVBA and I got a newsletter in the mail.

This was almost seven years ago with this guy's address in it.

Roger Carlson, who was my mentor came by the next day, got to talk him with him.

He says.

"Well, I could use a little help around here."

We hit it off.

And it was just one of those things where everything felt right in the place for me to be here at Ephraim Forge.

He can't get rid of me.

(laughing) Oddly enough his wife was my teacher, my freshman year in high school.

And me and Roger kind of attached to hip.

We're probably more family now than anything.

It was a fast track.

It really was fast track.

I walked into this, I'm the luckiest boy in the world than I really truly am.

I feel like a brat a lot of times 'cause when I get down, I talk to people I'm like, at my shop we would do it this way.

They'd be like, everybody isn't as fortunate as you are.

So, I do realize I got to shut up and listen to these guys 'cause they got more information than I do.

Truly I have more tools.

they have way more information.

Roger.

You know my mentor, the guy's been doing this for 40 years.

His work is just astounding.

(smooth music) A lot of guys that I know exist with that anvil, that hammer, that coal forge, some of them are lucky enough to have a propane forge.

Nothing is inexpensive.

The saying goes.

'By hammer in hand, all crafts do stand.'

So there was a point in time where the tailor needed a pair of scissors or a needle and he had to go to blacksmith, farmer needed a size sharpened, blacksmith.

Everything was centralized around that smithy, Yeah.

Smithy didn't want to do all those things.

So he started doing.

"Oh, I'm gonna mechanize this, I'm gonna make a tool for this."

Bend it, cut it, you weld it, it's a limited amount of things you can do with this material.

But the things that you see that have been done with that material, from the discovery of it, the discovery of the manipulation of it, we have the industrial revolution to thing that we do to this day.

You know, we're in aerospace technology uses forging it's as rudimentary as it gets, it's just a hammer.

It's an air hammer but it's just a hammer.

(upbeat music) Now some of the things that we make are heirloom quality.

We made a table here one time.

I wanna say it I think was nearly nine feet long, two benches that went with it.

That to me says, there's gonna be a large family sitting around.

That's cool.

You know, I really like that.

Like, man, this is gonna have good times, you know, around it for its existence.

And when those people, you know, pass on, or decide to downsize, somebody's gonna want that.

'Cause they're gonna see the same thing that I saw when I made it.

They're gonna see longer tables and buy good times.

The wine cell gate that we made for the guy.

It's an award winning piece.

A great sense of good honey, man, everybody's capable of doing one of this as they did.

I started this thing off when I was walking around, I had an idea, I just held onto the idea.

(upbeat music) >> It isn't just the woodworking aspect of it.

It's a lot of just the general maker.

Doesn't matter what it is that you enjoy.

Go out and make it.

Kinda all begun as a joke, semi-serious joke years ago.

'Cause my dad's getting closer and closer to retirement.

He for decades has been an amateur, but a really good cabinet maker, and as he got closer to retirement, it was, well, we've gotta keep you busy.

So what's the best way to do that?

And of course there's guitars hanging in the garage I was like, let's make these things.

And that's what got me more into the handcrafting and it's back into the whole woodworking aspect of making is seeing him go back to it and just really love it.

(guitar music) It was me wanting my own strand and instead of beating my head against the wall, trying to search around and search around for the right one, spending money, buying one that I think is it end up having to trade it off for something else and things like that, I just decided I'll build it.

I don't see why with all the information out there that I couldn't make myself one.

(upbeat music) The online community of people building is for the most part, very friendly, very inviting , everyone wants to share their advice as much as possible.

There's not a lot of proprietary stuff that folks are trying to hold onto.

They want you to take what they're doing and be able to incorporate it.

(upbeat music) It does start with knowing where to source lumber.

What is good lumber?

What is good hardwood to use for certain aspects of the bodies and things like that.

One once you have a slight understanding of that, you have some pieces that you can work with.

As long as you have a nice clean flat piece of wood for a body, you can cut any shape you want out of that.

When it comes to next it's a lot more specific.

It's a lot more exacting.

(guitar music) It's very important to have the right tools.

You could have a whole entire wall full of different sized hand airplanes to do every single length or width of piece that you need to do to get it completely flat.

But really you only need two or three.

But to have the right tools as in the right quality, that is key because otherwise you're just gonna be banging their head against the wall trying to make them do the job that they're supposed to do.

Once it's all set and done put together, that is going to be my strand.

That is going to be my guitar.

(guitar music) In the process of building guitar.

You work very hard to make this beautiful neck and then you make it ugly by just destroying it with band saws and stuff like that.

And then you make it pretty again by sanding it, routing it clean, and then you destroy it again by carving it and then you sand it and make it clean again.

It's beautiful.

It is just that over and over repetitive process with every step of the way as you make it beautiful, then you destroy it and then you make it beautiful again, then you destroy it.

But when you finally do put the strings on.

And when you finally get it set up and adjusted without being able to actually plug it in and every time it just I felt it.

I couldn't believe.

Like it the first time it was all together, brought a tear in my eye, kind of choked up a little bit 'cause I was like, I can't believe I actually did this.

And then a couple of days later when it was finally wired up and we plugged it in the first time and I hit the first notes on it, it was another moment where it was like, oh, I did it.

I was able to actually take these random scraps of wood, make them beautiful and make them play musical notes.

When I set out to do it originally, I was like, I just want it to be playable.

The first instrument I make, if it can make the correct notes and be playable, I'd be so happy.

And for it to come out the other end as one of the better guitars that I own, that's just it blew my mind.

There hasn't been a feeling like that yet in my life.

It's the mentality of it.

It's the idea that to you can go out, you can imagine it, put it on paper.

You can make it.

I would like to make this my future is building guitars for people, whether it is under my own brand or finding a really good brand that I can trust, and that makes quality instruments to go join their crew and be able to actually do this with my life.

That was kind of the point of it in the first place is what do I wanna do with my life?

(upbeat music) >> I've been up to a lot since we've last spoken, and I just recently had a five year anniversary party here.

I got to invite a lot of clients.

We had a huge party, had a heavy metal band here.

I've done art for a long time since I was a kid, but to actually do it on your own and survive for five years.

I'm like, I think over the hump, they say, my family's been really good and supportive obviously, but there's been other people along the way.

You have to not be so stubborn and let other people come into your small little world and help grow it.

When you look back at a portfolio of work you've done and made a lot of people happy along the way, it feels good to keep the lights on.

And I think I'm growing as far as popularity, 'cause as an artist you need like that sort of following, like I get people like, "I've been following you for five years."

I've probably saved up to get my bike painted.

At the beginning I got more walk-ins now I'm getting like bikes from all over the country, like Texas, Pennsylvania Wisconsin, Michigan.

And that one's over there is from Georgia.

Actually there was one piece I did.

They drove all the way from Minnesota and it was an ice cream truck and it was one of those old metro vans.

But they wanted to look like the old, like it was been sitting around forever.

I was like, heck yeah.

So that kind of like steamroll and I've done a bunch of old vans.

That's been pretty exciting to be able to now brand that.

Following that I created people from Germany, Spain, guys that are doing bikes that look like I've done.

And they're like, you've been an inspiration.

And then they're like try to ask for tips and tricks and stuff like that.

And I created a YouTube page too, since then kinda need.

A little more worldwide recognition is happening right now.

People really gravitate to my look I guess.

I knew that I was creating something that people wanted a piece of.

And I think a brand people want a piece of it and I'm trying to express sort of the hand done.

The road isn't perfect.

Life isn't perfect.

And so that's kind of where I want hand done drawn, like art that you know is part of me that people like.

And I also believe art is sort of that raw grit personality of yourself.

I get a lot of younger artists that ask.

"Well, what should I be doing?"

And I go.

"when you feel like you're carving your niche, I think that that's when you're onto something."

Everyone's talking about technique.

And when they look at my bikes they don't know how it was done.

They look at it and they're like.

"Is that a wrap?"

I kind of like that.

People don't know the technique.

I think that you go to these shows and everyone's talking technique and it's more, it's gotta be a feeling to me like a good song.

(upbeat music) Started a whole new T-shirt, design, brand called JMoto Designs.

That's been pretty exciting taking my art that people really gravitate towards and been selling pretty good.

And now we got actual design front to the gallery.

Some people can't really afford to pay their paychecks to a whole paint job on these bikes that I do.

I mean, I get that, but people want T-shirts.

(grinder cracking) You'd have cruise nights every Thursday I'd be barbecues and bikes and all kinds of fun stuff here.

And then in the wintertime everyone's got cabin fever.

So I like hand select some of my good friends and guys that I think are really good at, at either welding or wiring or just good to have around the shop.

It's definitely a communal of artists.

And you know, I get kind of lonely, just having in the studio here by myself, to be honest.

Yeah.

I have a bike that I purchased for like 750 bucks and I'm like, let's build this thing.

You know, it's an excess 400, actually my T-shirt partner and doing all the JMoto designs, bought the bike and I seen it online.

We thought it was an excess six 50 and we're gonna do something different to it turns out it was a 400 whatever we found the lineage and we have the correct title for it.

And I'm like, let's make this a fun build.

A little quirky bike.

The frame's kind of ugly a little bit.

It's not all right.

And I'm like, this is a chance to just, I guess, Kindle our building spirit, but not have any pressure like this is for a client.

No, this is just for us.

We're just gonna have fun.

We're gonna maybe talk some crap.

Like you guys don't know what you're talking about.

That'll never work, but we'll have fun with it.

And that's kind of the whole idea.

It's honestly to blow off steam.

Yeah.

It's like a jam night.

It's totally like a jam night.

'Cause we do that too here.

We got guitars here.

We're in kind of the same music, but then we have differences too.

It's like when we're building the bikes, What sounds better than the other.

It's kind of that creative camaraderie and it's a jam night for sure.

Now I have the freedom I think that I didn't before where I could have pet projects at the shop, things are going well enough to where now we can like have some fun and I think in the times that we're in, it feels good to just have those moments to hang out.

(grinder cracking) At one point, we're all cussing, working on a bike together, and like sometimes we get like guys, this isn't just about hanging out and drinking beer.

Like let's get some done, you know?

And then when that starts to happen, it feels like there's a different bond happening.

And that's, what's I think pretty cool.

(jazz music) That's a win when somebody sees a what a transformation I did to their bike or car or their ice cream truck.

You can see almost their personality.

Like they have speechless and they get goosebumps and that kind of vibe.

And I think that's what's really what it's all about.

And I don't think that's changed since day one.

And I think if you keep trying to have fun, and keep doing this knowing that you're gonna make someone else feel that excitement, then it isn't really about the results.

It's about the reaction.

>> It is an escape for sure.

I think that's the whole brain to paper idea for me as I don't think about what I'm gonna do.

I just do it.

It's one of the few things I don't have to abide by anybody's rules and I just do it.

And that's what I like about it.

(upbeat music) As a kid, I was always...

I was always drawing on everything, everything I could find, including tops of desks and things like that.

Places I shouldn't be.

As I got older, I kind of fell away from it.

My mid twenties, I didn't have much going on.

I was living in a studio apartment.

I was drinking a lot.

I was going in and out of bars and one day I was leaving the bar and it just get a moment of clarity.

I went into Walgreens and I bought a poster board and a bunch of Crayola markers.

And I just went home and like for six months I just started working, working on poster board with just these cheap markers and ended up being a really cool thing and a frame little piece.

And it just drove me.

After that I just started pumping 'em out when I hadn't stopped.

It was about 25 years ago now.

Like I said, I do brain to paper.

I heard that term a long time ago and I've adopted that 'cause I'll just take a blank sheet of paper and I'll just start drawing maybe a circle, maybe I'll start drawing, just start scribbling and then piece it together.

But usually starts with a circle or a face and then another face and then just keep it rolling.

So I think it's therapeutic for me.

I just pretty much just empty everything onto that paper without even thinking about it as opposed to having a model or looking at a picture.

I just like to just work that way.

You know, I went for a long period of time where I would just draw, I would just take a marker, just a sharpie and I would just draw.

And then in recent times I started sketching things out first, I started working with the pencil drawing completely in pencil and then going over it again with ink and then coloring it in and then usually going over it again with ink and then adding the detail to it.

So the process sometimes varies if I'm doing something a big piece in all ink, I get bored, I get bored.

So then I'll start adding detail long before in my mind, it's actually necessary.

I'm like, all right, I should really stick to my process, but I just get bored and I'll start hitting it up with some detail and then draw the next section and do that actually what I'm working on now it's just so big.

And my mind was so fried halfway through it that I just said, all right, I gotta start doing something else.

Same thing with the colors if I'm working on a big piece in ink, like, all right, I'll just have one face in color just to gimme some perspective about where I'm heading.

Otherwise I feel like I'm just on an abyssal.

I feel if I'm bored, how is the viewer gonna see this piece?

You know, which is another thing that I never gave much thought to as an older artist is I always was just drawing for me.

But now I kind, I appreciate if I don't get the feedback from the people that are looking at at it.

I mean, is it really, what is it then?

What if I need that for me, for my ego and I need it just for me to keep going, and to know that I connect with people.

So by people appreciating it, it's done me a huge solid 'cause it just keeps me going.

And I love that input, You know what, I got a starting point and it's usually...

I'm thinking about it now.

It's usually in the bottom corner, or somewhere off to the left in case I wanna do something with that middle series and then just sort of go from there.

I don't look at it until I'm probably about maybe have an eighth of it done and then I'll step back and be like, where am I going with this?

You know, sometimes it turns out to be an actual sea where I do one of my most popular pieces is smoke stacks with giant faces as mutant pollutants.

So the pollution coming out of it as the faces and that didn't come up till I had almost a whole sheet full of faces.

And then I'm like, all right, all right.

And then it's my most important piece because it ended up being it's whiting Indiana.

It's where I spent the first few years of my life looking at this scene of these smokestacks, booing out this pollution.

I want people...

I don't want 'em to be anything except what I ever it is.

If they feel anything I've done, my job.

People are moved in any way, good or bad.

I've had people say, I don't know how to use color.

I'm like, cool.

You thought about it.

You know what I mean?

You thought about what I did.

I love the people that say.

"Man I could look at your work for hours."

And those are the people I think you get me, man.

You get me.

Just somehow filled void that was always missing, and I asked myself, well, what's my origin story.

What did I really don't have one except that I just do it and I can't stop doing it.

And I dunno why.

(laughs) It's funny to think about.

(upbeat music) >> Dale: Doing as much as you can, as quickly as you can is important to me.

Life is short and the earlier we get started helping our community, the better off our community will be.

>> Almost every single professor I've had.

I'm on a first name basis.

By building that relationship with faculty, I was able to get involved with the research.

It's one thing to read about an idea in a book versus physically doing it and seeing results.

>> Announcer: Support for programming Lakeshore PBS comes in part from a generous bequest of the estate of Marjorie A Mills whose remarkable contribution will help us keep viewers like you informed, inspired and entertained for years to come.

(upbeat music) >> Narrator: Eye on the Arts has made possible in part by South Shore Arts, The Indiana Arts Commission and The National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Additional support for Lakeshore PBs and Eye on the Arts is provided by viewers like you.

Thank you.

>> Presenter: Did you know that you can find all of your favorite Lakeshore PBS shows online?

Visit video.LakeshorePBS.org.

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