Inspiring Iron Silhouettes In Light
By Heather Gaghan

“Our creations are the work of two artisans. I draw, but Steve makes it work. He is a master with metal and can transform the ideas and dreams into reality with his welder, clamps, jigs, hammers, and bolts. Without each other we would be up a creek!” These humble and humorous words are from Harriet DeWitt-O’Rear, one of the artists of Iron Age Crafters. It is the strongly rooted but creative nature of their relationship and surroundings that inspire this month’s artists’ creative visions and designs.

Harriet grew up “drawing horses and dogs, as many girls do, in lieu of doing homework,” and eventually attended Vanderbilt University as a student of Biology, English, and Art History while Steve went to an Alabama Agribusiness school—two seemingly unconnected beginnings for a couple and working team.

After meeting, they founded Chestatee Growers, a wholesale greenhouse that provided plants to landscapers in the Atlanta area. They ran it for 15 years, “but traffic kept getting worse as Atlanta grew. One day we almost got killed in a big wreck on a road we thought was so peaceful. That was that. We sold the place and put every penny we had into land up here.” Steve added.

Perched on a grassy knoll 30 miles from the closest grocery store sits a two story, octagonal home on 200 pastoral acres surrounded by gardens, goats, and panoramic views of Lookout Mountain in Northern Georgia. “This part of Lookout Mountain seems just right to us. Who wouldn’t want to live in a place with a name like Cloudland?” Steve says. There they have “turned their avocation of creating silhouettes in iron into their vocation.”

This avocation began when one day as Harriet surveyed their new surroundings, inspiration struck. “We had a rusted out water tank in the pasture. I told Steve that it would make a great coffee table if he could cut a design into the sides.” After she had drawn the design with a chunk of chalkstone onto the metal, Steve went to work and before long their first work of art had come to life.

From there they were off and cutting and welding and the sparks were flying everywhere. Their process has transformed over the years. In the past, Steve would use a plasma cutter to allow for more detail and now they employ the wonders of laser cutters. These complex machines allow both artists to broaden the boundaries of their designs, many of which come from the flora and fauna that surround their home. With such wide open spaces, Harriet and Steve need as much creative space as they can get!

These days, Harriet draws her designs with the aid of an AutoCad program, a highly technical program that during the learning process allowed her to “learn to draw and cuss, all at the same time!” Each drawing is actually hundreds of miniscule dots drawn three at a time with some of her creations having as many as 60,000 dots. The finished drawing is then sent to a company in Fort Payne, Alabama (home of the classic rock band Alabama as Harriet informed me!) where it is transferred to the laser cutter software. With a sheet of 4’ X 8’ steel on the table, the eye of the cutter follows the dots throughout the piece of sheet steel. The cut pieces are then picked up by Steve and Harriet to finish at their welding shop back at the farm. After the piece has been shaped it is baked with one of many pigments from black to eggshell and finally it is powder coated to ensure a lifetime of enjoyment whether it is used inside or out!

There is one silhouette that definitely was designed for the outdoors and it stands 29 feet tall in the city park of Dahlonega Georgia. Harriet and Steve were commissioned by the city to create a seven tiered tree representing the history of Dahlonega for its Golden Millennium celebration. It is truly a work of an art and a labor of love that Harriet enjoyed researching. She even found images from an 1878 issue of Harper’s Monthly—a woman settler weaving on a porch, a moon shiner, and a stamp mill all made it into the finished design. From scenes of the Indians and their tools, early pioneering settlers and the Gold Rush, to modern images of the local college and the town square it is a complete visual tour of the city’s past and it took Harriet and Steve one month to complete.





Their second tallest project was also one of their most creative—two large entry gates of a 1910 pants factory that was converted into a home and office space. The design for the gates was taken from a photo of girls in the factory cutting and sewing pants.

The range of products and designs is endless for this dynamic design duo. If you can dream it, they can build it. From napkin rings and weathervanes to headboards and hat racks. Harriet and Steve welcome the challenges of custom-ordered creativity. They make many home interior products from wall sconces to fireplace screens and even seasonal items such as Christmas ornaments and a rabbit centerpiece for Easter. “Bats are a very popular item down here in Georgia,” Harriet says and they are also a great addition to any home for Halloween.





The Artists of Iron Age Crafters have an excellent sense of humor and have even made a vulture weathervane for a friend in a nursing home who absolutely loved the piece. There was also a 12 foot weathervane made for a tire dealership with the image of two brothers changing the tire on a T model Ford. Currently, they are working on an Ark chandelier for a pet spa in Chattanooga, TN. It includes frogs, turtles, spiders, pigs, cats, and of course—dogs.

Harriet and Steve have had many four legged companions on their journey and enjoy placing them in their designs. Any breed is welcome for design as proof in a barn house weathervane with three types of Dachshunds, a fireplace insert with Scottie dogs, and most recently a charter boat captain from Charleston, South Carolina requested a fireplace screen depicting a hunting scene with three Labradors in the reeds by the water’s edge.

For those of us lucky enough to live below the Mason Dixon line, these 2005 Best in Show Artists and their Iron Silhouettes can be seen at the Chattanooga Nature Center Show and Sale held at the Reflections Riding Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee on April 8-9, 2006. A full listing of their 2006 schedule can be found on their website at www.ironagecrafters.com.

All Labs is proud to offer custom creations from Iron Age Crafters, from Fire Screens, Wall Sconces, Leash Racks, Chandeliers and Gates. To order a custom Iron Silhouette, please email us or call customer service at # 877-757-5227 with your interest and we will work with you to create a truly unique piece.