Dallas Home Design

I sculpted, cast and finished these angel wing sconces for a local designer... I also did the mirror. I sculpted the bronze back-splash; it's of a Poseidon type face. Now this is the interesting part... the water flows out on his tongue. There are Venetian type dolphins on each side of his face, which turn for hot and cold water control.
The good times working with Brad Oldham:) ]

Dallas Modern Luxury

The two door hardware pieces directly to the right of the Dallas Modern Luxury Magazine cover were sculpted by me. One is a bronze door back plate , with a herd of elephants sculpted on it; the head of the elephant on in front of the line is comes out and his trunk turns into the door lever. The piece next to that is a door pull, which looks like a Griffin.

F|D Luxe: Local Color

FD Luxe (Dallas Morning News)- published October 01, 2010
Local color
FROM THE REVIVAL OF A HISTORIC MINERAL WELLS HOTEL TO A DESIGN-OBSESSED DALLAS BLOGGER'S LATEST FAVES, WE'VE GOT THE INSIDE LINE
BY KRISTIE RAMIREZ

Iron men For the detail-obsessed there's no better place to turn for house jewelry then Potter Art Metal Studios (potterartmetal.com). Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, the fourth-generation-owned metal studio hasn't changed much in the way it hand-forges sconces, gates and chandeliers, save for moving from its home on Henderson Avenue to bigger digs near the Design District in 2007. The family tradition was passed to owner Richard Potter Jr. (his triplets work alongside him every summer), who remains deeply dedicated to the craft of custom-only pieces for clients. The heirloom designs are so deeply woven into the fabric of Dallas that they turn up in both amazing variety and vast in different neighborhoods - cinematic swirls of stair railing in Lakewood, painstakingly detailed iron gates in Highland Park and intricate light fixtures in Fair Park. Guests of the 37th annual Cattle Baron's Ball on Oct. 9 will have a chance to bid on a bespoke vineyard-inspired chandelier (left) from the lauded metal studios as part of the evening's fundraising auction.
(A little PS. This is really neat. There is an article on the next page, The fabulous Baker reborn, which talks about the 80 year old Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells which is going to be renovated. Anyway, they talk about the Stoneigh Hotel in Dallas which was also renovated by Jeff Trigger... so the neat part is that Richard's grandfather originally did the metalwork for it and the Baker Hotel in Dallas (not sure about the Mineral Wells one)... and we recently re-furbished the Stoneligh Hotel Metalwork and added another stair rail section to it. Just a bit of neat!)

Potter Art Metal Studios celebrates 90 years of providing jewelry for the home

Thursday, July 1, 2010
Park Cities News


Potter Art Metal Studios celebrates 90 years of providing jewelry for the home

Potter Art Metal Studios is proudly celebrating 90 years of making custom creations in metal. Designers and fabricators of ornamental metalwork and lighting, their work graces high-end residential and commercial projects, as well as municipal buildings and churches around the country. Potter is one of the oldest metal studios in Dallas and the southwest and produces 'functional art' destined to become heirlooms, including architectural, lighting, furnishings or other products fashioned from steel, brass, bronze, copper and aluminum.
Designers, architects, builders and individuals have long considered Potter Art Metal Studios as the go-to source for custom metal work. Products and services include: gas and electric lanterns; interior and exterior doors, gates and fencing; interior and exterior railings; chandeliers, fandeleirs, sconces, pendants and pot racks; fireplace screens and tools; gazebos; fountains and sculptures; ecclesiastical and steeple crosses, chalices and votive stands; window and door grilles; interior and exterior table bases; ornamental Vent-aHood covers, as well as historical restorations.
"We have a reputation for crafting almost anything a client can dream of in metal. We tell people that if we can't create it, you probably won't be able to get it done anywhere else. And, if we can't do it right, we just won't do it," Potter Art Metal Studios Owner Richard Potter said. "We have other shops constantly referring people to us for the toughest, most unusual jobs because they are unable to take them on. We get creative and find ways to accomplish these tough tasks well."
The metalwork studio's heritage dates back to the 1920's when Henry Cornwell Potter turned his hobby of making small wrought iron lanterns in his East Dallas garage into the thriving business. This was a skill he learned from his father Alexander Potter, who upon coming to America, brought with him knowledge of Old World hand metal working. Friends and neighbors began to take notice of Henry's craftsmanship and started purchasing his lanterns. After his wife showed one of the lanterns to a buyer at Sanger Harris Department Store, an order of 100 was placed. The rest, as they say, is history.
In 1924, Henry moved the business into a commercial space and established the studio on Henderson Avenue where the business flourished for more then 80 years. after outgrowing this space, Potter Art Metal Studios moved to its current 12,000-square-foot operation near the Dallas Design District in 2007. While growing in size and scope, however, Potter Art Metal still holds fast to the studio's tradition of custom work. In a nation built on mass production, where assembling existing components is the standard way to build, Potter creates pieces as individual as those built by the Old World blacksmiths.
Richard Potter, Henry's grandson, maintains his grandfather's legacy by making products that will become antiques and heirlooms of the future. he often involves his 20-year-old triplets during the summer months, in the hopes they may one day carry the family torch. "For four generations, we have maintained a reputation of exceeding our customers' expectations. We see this time and again as our clients return and often refer to us as their friends," Potter said.
"In my opinion Potter Art Metal is unsurpassed in both quality and art design. Amazingly, the style of art metal a home may need, or that one may dream of... Potter can design and deliver," said Kathy Hatcher of hatcher Design Group. "and, the icing on the cake is the pleasure of working with such friendly and accommodating people!"
Through the yars, Potter Art Metal Studios' work has graced some of Dallas' most recognizable homes and institutions including the famous Clifford Hutsell and Charles Dilbeck houses in Lakewood that are adorned with Potter metalwork, as well as the ornate fireplace produced for Trammell Crow's home. In addition, Potter's work can be seen at the Highland Park Library and around the Town of Highlahd Park, White Rock Lake [and Fair Park [light fixtures at the Hall of State]. Other notable projects include the Hunt Oil Building in down town Dallas, Omni Hotel in Fort Worth, The Stoneleigh Hotel, Highland Park United Methodist Church and Christ The King Catholic Church.
Potter Art Metal Studios may be famous for beautiful scrollwork and custom gas and electric light fixtures, but they can also uncover hidden treasures by refurbishing older metal pieces. UL certified, Potter can turn rusty, patinad pieces back into something beautiful through historical restorations, repairing, rewiring, and refurbishing.
We are a dedicated group of people who truly love what we do. It is my hope that through our metalwork, we are able to leave a permanent mark in the form of beauty for future generations to appreciate and admire," Potter added.
Potter Art Metal Studios is located at 4827 Memphis Street, Dallas, Texas 75207. The showroom and studios are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Saturday and sunday. For more information, design ideas and additional product detail, please visit www.potterartmetal.com or call (214) 821-1419.

Dallas Morning News Saturday, May 29, 2010

Dallas Morning News

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Local Talent

Wrought with possibilities

by Rita Cook (social contributor)

Polish-American metal artist and designer Izabela Wojcik, 31, says she finds inspiration for her work just about anywhere. Really, the possibilities are endless, and my ideas come from maybe seeing a fixture to sometimes even noticing a funny clasp on a shoe," she says.

Wojcik works for Potter Art Metal Studios in Dallas, designing custom pieces such as chandeliers, gazebos and even staircases, and doing everything except twisting the metal.

"I don't specifically do the metal work, because I would break my arms doing what the guys do here," she says.

She has cultivated her knowledge of metals, taking into consideration not only the beauty of a piece, but also its functionality. When designing a piece in metal, you have to know how the metal will work together and to what extent they can be manipulated," she says.

She starts with paper and pencil and sometimes uses a computer. After her design is completed, company meal artisans forge the pieces.

The Potter studios did the metalwork on many historic homes in the Lakewood neighborhood, as well as light fixtures at Fair Park and White Rock Lake, among other Dallas landmarks. Wojcik, who received a liberal arts degree in 2001, has been with the company since 2005.

She says clients seem to be asking for interior railings, doors, chandeliers and exterior lanterns, usually in wrought iron. She says that's the strongest metal, and also a good choice for cost-conscious homeowners. She says this season's colors are either chocolate rust or natural wrought-iron look.

The most unusual item she's designed since working at Potter would be the Art Nouveau fireplace mantel for developer Trammell Crow.

"Between that first drawing and when the piece was actually completed about six months later, lots of changes were made," she says. The finished piece - 600 pounds of hand-wrought and polished iron - "looked like a piece of museum-quality art for sure."

Pieces for her work range from $800 for a candle wall sconce to $3,750 for a lantern to $18,000 for a bronze table.

She's currently working on a pine-tree interior railing to be made from wrought iron.

"The client for this particular piece is surrounded by pine trees and wanted to bring the outside into their home. The pinecones, needles and tree-branch textures are amazingly realistic; we even made little baby pinecones among the needles," she says.

Wojcik also continues her personal artistic pursuits, creating bronze sculptures, oil and acrylic paintings, pencil drawings and glass art.

"Unless I'm specifically commissioned for a project, I really never have any idea where a piece will take me," she says. "It is not until after the artwork is completed and I have had time to take it in that I can let the feelings come to me and realize what has been put on canvas or molded in clay.

Izabela Wojcik's work is available through Potter Art Metal Studios, 4827 Memphis St., Dallas; 214-821-1419. See samples of her work at www.potterartmetal.com or www.belaart.com