Tyler Pope’s training as an artist, sculptor and smith has taken him from Newcastle to the United Kingdom, from New York City to Bristol and from New Mexico to his present home in Whitefield.
His first experience with the ancient skill of metalsmithing came at the Newcastle forge of his father, David Pope.
Later, he worked at Scottish Lion Wrought Iron in Bristol, a forge/gallery that makes sculptures and remarkably crafted household accessories, from toilet paper holders to fireplace tools to railings.
“I learned most of my skills” at Scottish Lion, Pope said.
Pope would continue to work at Scottish Lion “off and on” for “a few years,” frequently returning after visits to other parts of the world. Pope, who specializes in masks handmade from recycled copper, made his first one at Scottish Lion.
Immediately following his high school graduation, Pope traveled to England, Scotland and Ireland with World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). He eventually found himself at the Herefordshire College of Technology’s Rural Crafts Centre, which offers courses in blacksmithing, farriery, metalwork and welding.
Pope stayed for a month, auditing classes and continuing to improve his skills.
While at Herefordshire, a Portuguese blacksmith, Rodrigo, told Pope about the Orchardton House, a 50-room manor house and artists colony in Scotland. On Rodrigo’s recommendation, Pope gained admittance to the colony, where he repaired its forge in exchange for board.
After leaving Orchardton House, Pope traveled extensively, spending a semester with the Audubon Expedition Institute in California and Hawaii and returning to Scottish Lion before making his way back to Orchardton House in 2001.
During his second stay, Pope met a trapeze artist and stiltwalker who commissioned him to make a mask and breastplate. He made several more masks before returning to the U.S.
The next year, while living in Yonkers, N.Y., with then-girlfriend Elise Voigt, Pope made jewelry and masks at a makeshift workshop on the porch of the couple’s apartment.
Pope also began selling items at galleries in the city. A roommate introduced him to artist Jim Seffens – a papier mâché mask-maker himself – and Pope quickly sold several masks at a Jim Seffens Studio show.
Pope continued his education at Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, N.M., where he took classes in forging, jewelry, silversmithing and stone sculpture.
Today, Pope, now 30, lives in Whitefield. He and Voigt are married with two young daughters, Iris and Scarlet.
Pope earns a living as a carpenter while continuing to make jewelry and masks, as well as graphite drawings. He plays drums, guitar and bass guitar and is re-learning the fiddle.
Pope’s artistic focus, however, remains on metalwork. He forges scrap copper, silver and occasionally steel at a small, outdoor forge before moving it into a workshop cluttered with masks in various states of completion.
Last fall, Heartwood Regional Theater Company Artistic Director Griff Braley commissioned a mask for the Beast in a “Beauty and the Beast” production (starring Voigt as Beauty/Belle) that traveled to area schools.
It’s the most “wearable” mask Pope has made, he said. He built it around a bicycle helmet to allow ease of movement.
Pope’s work is currently on display at the Sheepscot General Store, in Whitefield, The Downtown Gallery, in Washington, and The Patricia Ladd Carrega Gallery in Sandwich, N.H.
The Sheepscot General Store will host a show of Pope’s work throughout September. The opening reception is Fri., Sept. 2 from 2-6 p.m. and will likely feature live music, although the details have yet to be announced.
For more information about Tyler Pope and to view a gallery of his masks, silver cuffs and other work, visit www.tylerpope.com.
