Silver in the Blood: Joshua Murray - Sculptor\Wax\Silver\Custom Jewelry

Here's the story: One day I was looking for photos of silver skull rings on deviantart, I'm a huge fan of Custom made silver.. skulls, eagles, anchors, lightning bolts, sugar skulls, saints, virgin marys, etc.
It's ART you can wear. Anyway, I'm thankful for stumbling upon the work of Joshua Murray. Since then, I've coveted pretty much everything his mind has imagined to create. His jewelry is sick and I can't wait to adorn one his quality custom pieces. I know little to zero about how one would make such fine things. i mean, from idea, to sculpted wax, to finished silver work of art. I wanted to know more about the art and the artist. So from Los Angeles.. im happy to present - JOSH MURRAY


Good Winter: How did you get into making silver jewelery? Did you go to art school? where did you learn to sculpt wax?
Josh Murray: I do not have any formal training, I started working as a freelance sculptor when I was a teenager and have been at it for the last 15 years. I got into the silver racket about 6 years ago, partly because I started using wax as a sculpting medium and wax and metal casting go together hand and hand.


GW: Do you remember your first attempt at carving wax to mold to silver? what was it and how did it go?
JM: It was a ring with a pirate skull carved into it. Either the investment plaster was mixed poorly or the centrifugal casing machine was wound too tight but the liquid metal shot right through the mold and almost took my face off. It was awesome. I still have the casting, you can see a photo of it here [link]

GW: 4 favorite places?
JM: Madora North Dakota, Tokyo Japan, Clearwater Beach Florida, The Yangtze river in China.

GW: What is currently on your music playlist?
JM: The Didjits, Alice Cooper, Nina Samone, The Violent Femmes, Tom Waits, The Supersuckers.

GW: most prized possession?
JM: I guess if my studio was on fire and i could only take one thing with me, it would be my Grandfathers dog tags.

GW: what are some of your past Halloween costumes?
JM: Batman, C3PO, and a shit load of zombies.

GW: 4 things that you collect?
JM: Tools, Artwork, music, jackalopes.

GW: whats your secret?
JM: A little music, some math, a bit of whiskey, and an ass load of patience.

flintlocksilver.com - flintlockprivateer(deviantart)

Boom !

A different route home today. I don't know what made me. Got off work early. Driving home on a summer day. Sky is blue with patches of puffy clouds. There are cars in front of me coming to a stop. In the street I see there is a Momma duck getting her ducklings across the road. Not little chicks, they are bigger. Size of small kittens. Maybe 5 or 6 altogether. But there is one, on the end. It's hurt. A car must have just hit it and kept going. but now everyone has stopped. Including me. The little duck in the road is flapping it's wing. part of it crushed by the rushing tire of a ton of automobile. Someone driving in a rush, someone not paying attention. Maybe a mistake. The Mother duck she gets all the others across but she keeps going back into the middle of the road to help push her injured baby. She goes over and taps it with her beak. She taps and runs back to the side of the street, then goes back and taps more. Over and over. but it isn't coming with her. It can't. It's dying.

This breaks my heart into a zillion pieces of shattered glass. Us just sitting in our cars. Watching. My chest hurts. I start to fucking cry. I'm in my truck. Crying. Weeping. Sobbing like a baby. I can't stop. It hurts so bad my throat burns. Acid in my stomach. my eyes wet. Chest heaving. Through tears I see someone get out of their truck, cradle the little duck and carry it across the street. A saint. It flaps it's wing it's crushed body. The last of its strength. Now everyone can move back into traffic. some people are beeping their horns. They want to get going to wherever that is. Fourth of July weekend. Important things.

I move out along with traffic. But i can't drive like this. I have to stop. I pull over, turn up the radio and cry some more. it's pure, it's from somewhere deep. I don't know why god wanted me to see that. I never go that way home. Maybe it's like the Tin-man. I have a heart and I've had it all along. I can feel. I can feel it explode and hurt and I know I'm alive. So many things I've tried to shove down. Forget. Erase. Move on and be numb. There are emotions you can't escape and they found me. Things I've have to own up to. and I am sorry. I am. In this transition from becoming boy to man. Finally things start to become clear.

I've been missing my Dog Dallas again lately. It's been 8 months since he's gone. I miss coming home to him. Miss him by feet touching his soft fur at night in bed. But, I am lucky enough to have a girl who truly loves me. Someone who understands when I bolt up from sleeping at night. Who doesn't try to take the place of my hurt. But lets me. Let's me feel.