Enrique
Vega
Apex, NC
Designer Craftsman
Contemporary Artist
About the Artist
Born in Cuba, Enrique
Vega has lived in North Carolina for more than
forty years. Vega studied photography before
turning to blacksmithing. Technical welding
classes and ABANA (Artists-Blacksmiths of North
America) workshops provided his initial education.
This site is not only
a good introduction to the artist and his art,
but also a treasure trove of visual and audio
documentation about Vega’s artistic and
technical processes in creating work like the
table in the exhibit.
Console Table, 2004
Forged steel, marble
31" x 64" x 20"
Photo by Luis Quiles, 2007
What is mastery to Vega?
“You can master one
technique but there are so many other techniques
that you may not be a master. I would consider myself
a master of mortise and tendon but not a master
of metal. There is always something to learn. I
need to listen to the metal. I open myself up and
listen to the metal to see what it is telling me,
because then the metal teaches me how it needs to
be worked.”
Questions or concerns about this site structure
should be directed to the webmaster.
