Category: Uncategorized

Much gratitude to the Canadian Society for Contemporary Iron Arts for hosting Foundry Tree in Hamilton, Ontario for their Third Annual Iron Pour at Hamilton Museum of Steam and Technology. My kids and I enjoyed their first trip outside the United States! Many thanks to Vanessa Krause for facilitating our attendance, arranging a space for us to work, and all of her hard work and support.

My kids Ima and Ari helped with the Foundry Tree setup, data entries and packing up. They have their own blogs their nature observations on our journey. Ima’s Birdminded page has her trip photos and Ari’s Love of Bugs.

Many thanks to EVERYONE including the museum staff and train conductors. My kids and I had an amazing adventure driving to Hamilton, ON from Chicago and back again.

Pre-pour Talk.

Great site location of the Hamilton Museum of Steam and Technology.

Guest performance artist, Kiera “Kiki” Boult, leading a procession to the Iron Pour area.

Kip Jones

Ima and Ari working with Josh Avery to get his information and a patch.

Ima and Ari chatting with Joe Nizio about art and fossils.

After many years of the kindest of invitations from James Vanderpool, the Foundry Tree finally got to attend one of the Metal Museum’s Iron Pours!!!! F.I.R.E. 2025 felt like family. My kids and I enjoyed our first F.I.R.E. Conference. Many thanks to James Vanderpool for the invitation.

Many thanks to Alexandra Rose for setup assistance. My kids Ima and Ari helped with the Foundry Tree setup, patch sales, data entry, dinosaur and bird and bug discussions and packing up. They have their own blogs their nature observations on our journey. Ima’s posts are up on her blog Birdminded, and Ari’s Love of Bugs posts are forthcoming. We loved all the Mississippi Kites and learning from April Livingston, JR Lodico and David Lammers.

Many thanks to EVERYONE. My kids and I had an great trip driving to Memphis, TN from Chicago and back again.

JR Lodico, Gabe Akagawa, and Jake Brown. It had been well over a decade since I had seen these two!

Ima and Ari On the Mississippi River near the Metal Museum

In 2009 the Foundry Tree started at the National Conference on Cast Iron Art. It has been 6 years since I last attended, but Foundry Tree was back at Sloss Furnaces for the 2025 NCCCIAP. My kids and I enjoyed their first time the National Conference! Many thanks to Page Burch for the invitation and facilitating our attendance with Virginia Elliott. We used the ground floor space this year. It worked really well, allowing us to work and connect to the 180+ people we photographed. Many thanks to all of the Steering Committee’s hard work and support.

I was also on a panel with Wayne Potratz, Margee Levine and Laura Mullen. What a privilege to be in such great company speaking about various documentation styles, preservation of Iron casting history and interconnections in Iron-casting communities.

My kids Ima and Ari helped with the Foundry Tree setup, data entries and packing up. They have their own blogs their nature observations on our journey. Ima’s post is up on her blog Birdminded, and Ari’s Love of Bugs posts are forthcoming.

Many thanks to EVERYONE. My kids and I had an amazing adventure driving to (Louisiana then) Birmingham, AL from Chicago and back again.

Ima and Ari

Image courtesy of Andy Denton. Gabe Akagawa photographing Sky Faro.

Waiting line for photos. Thanks for your patience everyone!! Hopefully a good time to relax in the shade.

Durant Thompson, Donnie Keen, and Seth Thibodaux

Oscar Salcedo Castañeda, Devon White, Andy Denton and Laura Mullen discussing documentation technologies.

Before my panel started. Wayne Potratz and Laura Mullen

Virginia Elliott and Ian Skinner

Image of Gabe Akagawa and Kaleigh Suddarth courtesy of Kaleigh Suddarth. Kaleigh writes, “For me the ‘Selfie’ is a moment in time, a memory. I like to look back and remember the moment. Also, people don’t always have time to stop for a proper photo. Especially at big events when everyone is constantly running around. This way includes everyone, and reminds me of the days I used to carry a Kodak pocket camera around everywhere.”

See you in 2027!

Ari taking Ima‘s pic. (Foundry Tree training the next generation.)

Much gratitude to Georgia State University for hosting Foundry Tree in Atlanta, Georgia. My kids and I took 41 photographic portraits for the Foundry Tree! Additional thanks to Emily Baker for facilitating our attendance, arranging a space for us to work, and all of her hard work and support.

Deep felt congratulations to George Beasley for over 50 years of tireless commitment to the iron and sculpture communities of the world.

Many thanks to EVERYONE including Blaise Dell. My kids and I had an amazing adventure driving to Atlanta from Chicago and back again.

Page Burch, Marjee Levine, Witt shartzer, George Beasley, James Vincent and Ed Paradis

George Beasley and colleague

Iron charges and pour participants.

Pre-pour safety talk

George Beasley and Marjee Levine

George Beasley and colleague

Historical GSU Iron Pour t-shirts

Iron acorn

Foundry Tree photography setup

Much gratitude to WCIAA for hosting Foundry Tree at Grossmont College in El Cajon, CA. We took 60 photographic portraits for the Foundry Tree! Additional thanks to Tom Fox for helping us get set up with a prime spot in the shade.

This was the first time my kids helped out with the Foundry Tree. Ari helped with the photographing and backdrop maintenance. Ima helped with data entry and selling patches.

Many thanks to EVERYONE. My kids and I had an amazing adventure driving to El Cajon from Chicago and back again.

Ima and Ari are photographers, as well. Here are the Anna’s hummingbirds Ima photographed at Grossmont.

After the production pour

Ari adjusting the backdrop as the wind blew. Lucy Martin being patient.

Much love and gratitude to Jay Elias at for hosting Foundry Tree and for the wonderful 1st Metal Health Iron Pour in Detroit, Michigan at 555 Non Profit Gallery +Studio.  Also thanks to Carl W. Goines and Amanda Partridge Nordin for their care and support. Also, I am thankful to be able to cast 8 more Refrain iron railroad tracks.

Cricket Baynes and Ed Parrish Jr. securing a ladle warmer stand

Many thanks to Alisa Toninato at Felion Studios for hosting Foundry Tree and for the amazing 11th Annual Pour’n Yer Heart Out community Iron Pour in Madison, Wisconsin at Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

I was also able to cast two ceramic shell molds for the Refrain project. I also handed out Glove Project “valentines” from Kelly Ludeking’s gloves to those who were at Pour’n Yer Heart Out, 2019. Many thanks to all involved!

Thank you Tree Lind for hosting the Foundry Tree at the annual University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Iron Pour on November 9, 2019. I was also able to cast three ceramic shell molds for the Refrain project. Many thanks to all involved!

This was the 10th iron pour/event I attended in the 10th year of the Foundry Tree database: 2009-2019. Thank you to all who have participated and supported the endeavor over the years.

Thank you Jam Rohr for hosting the Foundry Tree at the (FE)male Iron Pour in Peoria, Illinois by Black Dog Metal Arts on November 2, 2019. Great pour. Great People!

I was also able to cast two molds for the Refrain project. Many thanks to all involved!

Foundry Tree was at 555 Non Profit Gallery +Studio in Detroit, Michigan for the Casey Westbrook Memorial Iron Pour on October 26th, 2019. Many thanks to Carl W. Goines, Jay Elias, Amanda Partridge Nordin for inviting and supporting the Foundry Tree and All there for helping to cast more Refrain iron railroad tracks.