Tyger Forge
For a limited time
Pendants, pins, brooches and belt buckles ship free!
Pendants, pins, brooches and belt buckles ship free!
Hello. I am a USCG licensed Captain, and artist, Mark Goodwin.
I use simple hand tools, and traditional methods (well, I experiment a little, too) to make my handmade jewelry, and art. I do this when God tells me that I should not be out on the water hunting redfish, tarpon, sea trout, Jack Crevalle, and other finny residents on our pristine Panhandle Florida flats!
This endeavor started when I was looking for a belt buckle to wear with my kilt. The buckles were all mass-produced out of cheap, stamped metal in a couple of countries, but certainly not in the United Kingdom, and not in the United States of America.
The solution was clear: I had to make myself a buckle. All of my life I have enjoyed making things. I got this lesson of self-sufficiency out of the necessity: having to make-do was the result of being poor.
I have some well-worn hand tools, and pretty soon several buckles were built as designs came into my head. Fully enthused, I made a few to sell, and that is how Tyger Forge was born.
My creations are entirely practical, and their low-cost and high-value has wide appeal. I use as many recyclable materials as I can, and although the use of recyclable material is in vogue, my work seeks to go beyond fashion. The oyster shell and clays are what one could call ‘green’ materials, and dropped sections of architectural building materials provide some of the copper, brass, wood, and so forth.
My wife Carol is a knitter, and she wanted me to make a shawl pin for her. She needed something light because of the lace kniting that she specializes in, but she loves the look of metal. That need eventually lead to my creation of something original- something made with the earth and water that surrounds Apalachicola. That was the genesis of my Red Hills Clay™, and Oyster Shell Mosaic™ pin, brooches, and pendants.
Every now and then a person craves to make something bigger, though. Take a gander at my 5-foot-long tarpon sculptures! These hand-sculpted fish are perfect for the corporate office, business lobby, and home entry, great room, and man-cave. Each tarpon is hand sculpted, and painted. As an art form, these trophy fish are particularly appealing to people who either want to avoid the ‘taxidermy look’, or may have tired of the vacant stare that comes from the ubiquitous plastic and fiberglass specimens.
I am a strong advocate of the catch-and-release method of sustaining our great Panhandle Florida wild fish fishery. When you hang one of these trophy tarpons (or redfish, permit, or bonefish) on the wall, you will always remember those fantastic days on the water, and your fish you released to live and be caught again.
My art has an honest, time-less appeal for all of us who cherish the memories of visits, work, play, and life within our coastal habitat. I hope that it also holds appeal for you.
I use simple hand tools, and traditional methods (well, I experiment a little, too) to make my handmade jewelry, and art. I do this when God tells me that I should not be out on the water hunting redfish, tarpon, sea trout, Jack Crevalle, and other finny residents on our pristine Panhandle Florida flats!
This endeavor started when I was looking for a belt buckle to wear with my kilt. The buckles were all mass-produced out of cheap, stamped metal in a couple of countries, but certainly not in the United Kingdom, and not in the United States of America.
The solution was clear: I had to make myself a buckle. All of my life I have enjoyed making things. I got this lesson of self-sufficiency out of the necessity: having to make-do was the result of being poor.
I have some well-worn hand tools, and pretty soon several buckles were built as designs came into my head. Fully enthused, I made a few to sell, and that is how Tyger Forge was born.
My creations are entirely practical, and their low-cost and high-value has wide appeal. I use as many recyclable materials as I can, and although the use of recyclable material is in vogue, my work seeks to go beyond fashion. The oyster shell and clays are what one could call ‘green’ materials, and dropped sections of architectural building materials provide some of the copper, brass, wood, and so forth.
My wife Carol is a knitter, and she wanted me to make a shawl pin for her. She needed something light because of the lace kniting that she specializes in, but she loves the look of metal. That need eventually lead to my creation of something original- something made with the earth and water that surrounds Apalachicola. That was the genesis of my Red Hills Clay™, and Oyster Shell Mosaic™ pin, brooches, and pendants.
Every now and then a person craves to make something bigger, though. Take a gander at my 5-foot-long tarpon sculptures! These hand-sculpted fish are perfect for the corporate office, business lobby, and home entry, great room, and man-cave. Each tarpon is hand sculpted, and painted. As an art form, these trophy fish are particularly appealing to people who either want to avoid the ‘taxidermy look’, or may have tired of the vacant stare that comes from the ubiquitous plastic and fiberglass specimens.
I am a strong advocate of the catch-and-release method of sustaining our great Panhandle Florida wild fish fishery. When you hang one of these trophy tarpons (or redfish, permit, or bonefish) on the wall, you will always remember those fantastic days on the water, and your fish you released to live and be caught again.
My art has an honest, time-less appeal for all of us who cherish the memories of visits, work, play, and life within our coastal habitat. I hope that it also holds appeal for you.
