[TheForge] self portraits

[RIES NIEMI]

For many years I made a line of furniture, which included what I called
"portrait chairs". These were portraits of famous people, plasma cut into
the backs of the chairs. They are drawing based, not forged. There were
occasional forged details on some of the chairs, but they were a production
piece, wholesaled to craft stores, so they had to be simply fabricated to
keep price points down. Over the years I estimate I made at least 1000
chairs and bar stools, and got to calling myself "the king of chairs". I was
living in LA at the time, and we had the king of bedspreads, the king of big
screen tv, and the king of pagers all advertising on tv there. I wanted to
join the self appointed royalty, so I became the king of chairs, and I did a
self portrait in steel that I used to hang in my booth at craft shows.
I will post a pic of it, and a sample portrait chair on the photo access
site. Again, this is not blacksmithing, just a self portrait in metal.