Forged in the West- Dan's Avatar

Forged in the West- Dan

@forgedinthewest.bsky.social

Artist, metalsmith, blacksmith, dad. I specialize in historical weapons recreation, but also make tools, melt metals, carve stone and sculpt wood and make art. I make art to avoid watching the downfall of democracy.

2,942 Followers  |  3,967 Following  |  28 Posts  |  Joined: 29.03.2025
Posts Following

Posts by Forged in the West- Dan (@forgedinthewest.bsky.social)

Beautiful Forged heart sculpture in gray tones black and white

Beautiful Forged heart sculpture in gray tones black and white

I love @forgedinthewest.bsky.social
most recent gallery exhibition! Come check it out- on display in Steamboat Springs thru March.This year's Insight Art for Climate Action art show and fundraiser is for Routt Co Western Resilience Center #RockinTuesday #BlueSkyArtShow #FebruArty2026 #EastCoastKin

17.02.2026 14:05 β€” πŸ‘ 29    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
Video thumbnail

Finally got my website set up! Support my work with merch for now, artwork coming soon.

forgedinthewest.myshopify.com?srsltid=AfmB...

#blueskyartshow
#metalwork

06.12.2025 18:34 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Charcoal drawing of a girl on the top of a mountain overlooking a cliff in a storm. Wind and lightning

Charcoal drawing of a girl on the top of a mountain overlooking a cliff in a storm. Wind and lightning

Post image If Only They Knew

They say, β€œMellow out,” as if calm were a switch hidden under my ribs,
My mind is a wildfireβ€”
not burning to destroy, but burning to know.

My thoughts outrun the clock, feet tapping to a tempo no one else can hear.
Psychomotor sparksβ€”
Restless, 
Relentless,
Asking my body to keep pace with possibility.

The world arrives in high-definition:
Light: too bright.
Texture screams and sings against my skin.
A whisper becomes a symphony.
A color becomes a feeling.
Sensual threads pull me to notice what others pass by.

Imagination folds the ordinary into myth and metaphorβ€”
Turning shadows into stories,
Questions into quests.
I live on the edge
Of real and yet-to-be.

Then comes the drive to knowβ€”
The Intellectual pullβ€”
Where curiosity grows teeth and won’t stop chewing until the truth is laid bare.
I chase patterns like fireflies, collecting answers in jars made of wonder.

Beneath it all, emotion risesβ€”
Not small, 
Not quiet, 
But overpowering and all encompassing. 
Joy arrives like sunrise.
Grief floods like a storm.
Empathy vibrates deep in my bones.
I feel the world before I understand it.

Intensity is not a flaw but a compass
A way of being tuned to a finer frequency.
It is the engine of potential,
The spark that cracks open who I am becoming.

I cannot always β€œmellow out.”
I can learn to channel,
To breathe,
To honor the motion within.
This inner storm is also my source of light
A power that, when understood, becomes purpose

If Only They Knew They say, β€œMellow out,” as if calm were a switch hidden under my ribs, My mind is a wildfireβ€” not burning to destroy, but burning to know. My thoughts outrun the clock, feet tapping to a tempo no one else can hear. Psychomotor sparksβ€” Restless, Relentless, Asking my body to keep pace with possibility. The world arrives in high-definition: Light: too bright. Texture screams and sings against my skin. A whisper becomes a symphony. A color becomes a feeling. Sensual threads pull me to notice what others pass by. Imagination folds the ordinary into myth and metaphorβ€” Turning shadows into stories, Questions into quests. I live on the edge Of real and yet-to-be. Then comes the drive to knowβ€” The Intellectual pullβ€” Where curiosity grows teeth and won’t stop chewing until the truth is laid bare. I chase patterns like fireflies, collecting answers in jars made of wonder. Beneath it all, emotion risesβ€” Not small, Not quiet, But overpowering and all encompassing. Joy arrives like sunrise. Grief floods like a storm. Empathy vibrates deep in my bones. I feel the world before I understand it. Intensity is not a flaw but a compass A way of being tuned to a finer frequency. It is the engine of potential, The spark that cracks open who I am becoming. I cannot always β€œmellow out.” I can learn to channel, To breathe, To honor the motion within. This inner storm is also my source of light A power that, when understood, becomes purpose

Post image

If Only They Knew

They say, β€œMellow out,” as if calm were a switch hidden under my ribs,
My mind is a wildfireβ€”
not burning to destroy, but burning to know…

#blueskyartshow
#gifted
#intensity #livingwithintensity

06.12.2025 17:56 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image Post image

Almost done with the series!
#bronze #metalcasting #forgedinthewest #blueskyartshow

13.09.2025 22:33 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

Bronze megalodon tooth.
#bronze #metalcasting #blueskyartshow

31.08.2025 23:25 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
Video thumbnail

Doing some sand casting today.
#bronze #Metalcasting #blueskyartshow

31.08.2025 20:02 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

Casting silver skulls.
#silver #metalsmithing #bluskyartshow #forgedinthewest

29.07.2025 18:48 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

My shop assistants πŸˆβ€β¬›

22.07.2025 18:29 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Rutile and Hematite in Quartz
From Bahia, Brazil

#gemstones #gemology #minerals #rutile #hematite #quartz #bahia #Brazil #mineralogicalsample #mineralogy #crystal #crystalline #structure

22.07.2025 15:00 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image Post image Post image

Copper is so beautiful!
Can’t wait to turn these castings into jewelry and sculptures.
#copper #bluskyartshow #metalsmith

20.07.2025 16:00 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
Post image

I've been busy in the shop cranking out new work! Check out this new piece over at ladiesofiron.com! #jewelry #artjewelry #blacksmithing #art

13.05.2025 14:55 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

Copper pour experiment that went awry… but it’s also kinda cool.
#bluskyartshow
#copper
#metalsmith

20.07.2025 15:48 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image Post image Post image Post image

Melting copper today. Recycling trash into art.
#metalsmith #copper #sustainableart #meltingfurnace

19.07.2025 22:01 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

Recycling trash into art.
#metalsmithing
#meltingfurnace
#copper

19.07.2025 21:58 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

Melting silver today! #silver #meltingfurnace #metalsmith

16.07.2025 18:49 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Protect yourselves from the sun! β˜€οΈ

24.05.2025 14:34 β€” πŸ‘ 13    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
The image shows information and guidelines about the #ArtYear hashtag and feed. The image has text on a white background with a green border. The text reads as follows: 

Join the #ArtYear challenge! 
Spread joy in the world
through artβ€”we all need it! 

🌱Post your own original art, any medium:  
art, craft, photography; WIP, studio & 
art supply images welcome too
🌱Use the hashtag #ArtYear

🌱Runs daily, all yearβ€”post when you can
🌱No themes

🌱Use ALT text, keep it SFW (Safe For Work), 
no A I or N F Ts

✨Our mission: To spread joy in the world 
through art and support each other!✨

Find the #ArtYear feedβ€”and community!β€”
in my profile, @annalarssonstudio.bsky.social,
under Feeds & pin it to your menu.
Come join usβ€”see you in the feed! πŸ˜€πŸŒΏ

The image shows information and guidelines about the #ArtYear hashtag and feed. The image has text on a white background with a green border. The text reads as follows: Join the #ArtYear challenge! Spread joy in the world through artβ€”we all need it! 🌱Post your own original art, any medium: art, craft, photography; WIP, studio & art supply images welcome too 🌱Use the hashtag #ArtYear 🌱Runs daily, all yearβ€”post when you can 🌱No themes 🌱Use ALT text, keep it SFW (Safe For Work), no A I or N F Ts ✨Our mission: To spread joy in the world through art and support each other!✨ Find the #ArtYear feedβ€”and community!β€” in my profile, @annalarssonstudio.bsky.social, under Feeds & pin it to your menu. Come join usβ€”see you in the feed! πŸ˜€πŸŒΏ

Are you an artist, crafter, or photographer? Join us in the #ArtYear community & post your work using the #ArtYear hashtag.🌱 Let’s spread joy in the world through art & support each other’s creative practice!✨ Can’t wait to see your art, works in progress, studio shots & art supplies in the feed!🀩🌿

02.04.2025 12:16 β€” πŸ‘ 142    πŸ” 32    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 3
Misty frozen air. 
Early, Saddleback mountain
December morning.

Misty frozen air. Early, Saddleback mountain December morning.

Colorado commute

Misty frozen air.
Early, Saddleback mountain
December morning.

#colorado
#blueskyartshow
#landscape

01.06.2025 16:15 β€” πŸ‘ 23    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Dramatic light dark from metal heating in the forge

Dramatic light dark from metal heating in the forge

#blueskyartshow
#lightandshadow

24.05.2025 14:49 β€” πŸ‘ 21    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Dramatic photo of white flowers on a black background with text reading:
Join the #BlueSkyArtShow
The theme is #LightAndShadow
Saturday May 24, 2025
Any art that fits.
Any skill level.
Follow our feed.
Use both tags to be included.
Post on Saturday
photo: @ioneblue.bsky.social

Dramatic photo of white flowers on a black background with text reading: Join the #BlueSkyArtShow The theme is #LightAndShadow Saturday May 24, 2025 Any art that fits. Any skill level. Follow our feed. Use both tags to be included. Post on Saturday photo: @ioneblue.bsky.social

Join the #BlueSkyArtShow
Saturday May 24, 2025
The theme is #LightAndShadow
Straight, curvy or otherwise

Any art that fits, any skill level
Pin the feed to follow along
Use both tags to be included
Hold your posts till SATURDAY

Share the link for the feed when you post
More info in the comments

19.05.2025 00:44 β€” πŸ‘ 231    πŸ” 79    πŸ’¬ 11    πŸ“Œ 21
Post image Post image

Happy Sunday! πŸ¦‹

18.05.2025 16:38 β€” πŸ‘ 62    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

Look at that shine! ✨

18.05.2025 16:41 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

Gearing up to make more of my modern take on Māori patus. All of my art is sustainable using reclaimed materials as much as possible.

18.05.2025 16:17 β€” πŸ‘ 13    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

You too! πŸ‘Š πŸ’ͺ

18.05.2025 16:16 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Thanks for the @laurieagard.com bump! πŸ’ͺ

18.05.2025 16:15 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

Thanks for including me! πŸ’™

18.05.2025 16:04 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Thanks Y❗️
@y-exclamationpoint.bsky.social
@lovesdogs.bsky.social
@grannycrowe.bsky.social
@dodibes.bsky.social
@urielandme.bsky.social
@pr3vgen.bsky.social
@forgedinthewest.bsky.social
@henrypenny.bsky.social
@corgicafe.bsky.social
@mysticwonder.bsky.social
@cookievargas.bsky.social

13.05.2025 15:10 β€” πŸ‘ 31    πŸ” 14    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 1
Post image

#WeekRforRoads #AlphabetChallenge #Stunday #Quietmoments
Wishing my Bluesky friends a peaceful Sunday
My phone reminded me of this old picture I'd taken of a road winding on endlessly
Seeing this reminds me of a Maori proverb
'I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on the past.(thread)

04.05.2025 20:15 β€” πŸ‘ 47    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

A visit from my new pets today! 🦌

21.04.2025 16:19 β€” πŸ‘ 16    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image 14.04.2025 16:35 β€” πŸ‘ 143    πŸ” 53    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1