David DelaGardelle

All my life I have been completely right brained, using creativity and imagination to express myself. So as a little kid I had no trouble getting lost in the grand epic worlds I read about in the classic books I read, in the folktales & legends I heard from family and friends, and in the history of my Norwegian ancestry. Countless nights were spent by the fireside up North with my grandpa or father telling stories of our family lineage, and ancestors who immigrated from Germany and Norway only a few generations ago. Still being young now I look back on my life thus far with gratitude & thankfulness towards my parents and loved ones, who created an environment for me to nurture and grow my imagination. When I met Andy Davis for the first time we where both just little grubby overly energetic kids, we shared the same creative thirst for adventure and craziness. I knew right away I had met another brother at arms even at that age... Our friendship and our group of friends around us growing up was always centered around our like minded creativity and love for the Lord.

As an artist and particularly as a swordsmith, I hope that my work evokes the feelings I felt when reading Tolkien, the Kalevala, or Bunyans Pilgrims Progress for the first time, or the feeling when I first heard lines of Beowulf being recited in Old English. I simply wanted to create a way to get lost in those tales and learn from the themes and truths they spoke of.

I also draw inspiration for my swords not only from my love for epic myths and history but also from the places and environments where I grew up. Just behind my grandparent’s house, on the shore of Door County Wisconsin lay a huge expanse of tall cedar forests where my brother and I would go explore and adventure, all the while letting our imaginations take over and run wild. I try to capture elements of nature in my work, be it trough the flowing shapes, beautiful wood grains, or leaving rough textures in the steel. Artistically, I hope for these things to further portray the sense of antiquity and depth.

I obviously know that for some a sword may be just that, a sword. But I hope that for those that understand what I am trying to portray, when you view or hold one of my swords, you have those wild adventurous feelings, and are inspired to live not in violence, hatred and revenge, but with honor, respect, morality and love towards other human beings.
I hope that through my work I might inspire others to use the God given talents that we all have for a good and positive purpose whatever it may be.

- David DelaGardelle