Doug Crane

In the 8th grade, a lttle before my 14th birthday, I twisted my Shop Teacher's arm to show me how to do aluminum sand casting. A few years later in college I took up bronze casting and then silver and gold jewelry casting and fabrication. I've been playing with hot metal for over 40 years and my Bachelor's Degree in Art, from Montclair College in New Jersey, is split between Photography and Metalworking.  Montclair was one of the best-kept secrets in the realm of fine arts schools on the East Coast. It's only 13 miles from Soho in lower Manhattan, and many of my instructors had gallery associations in what is considered by many to be the world wide epicenter of fine arts. A short ride into Soho for the gallery opening of one of my teachers became a regular occurrence, and the influence of these experiences has had a lasting effect on the way I look at and produce my work. 

After graduating in 1981, I embarked on a commercial photographic career that eventually brought me to Southwest Ohio as Creative Director for 2 communication graphics companies.  But at the same time I worked on my personal creative expression through fine jewelry fabrication and casting by building a jewelry studio in my home and continuing to design and create works in silver and gold, reviving and expanding on the styles I developed while at Montclair. This work eventually led to a small business selling Fine Art Jewelry at regional arts festivals.

I left the communications industry in 1996 to focus on metalworking full time.  I wanted to create something that no one else was doing and came upon Hourglasses.  I taught myself how to cast pewter thinking that it would be a good medium to work in for the spindles, and since 1998 have focused exclusively on developing my various lines of Sandtimers. 

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