Not long ago I was asked to create a personalized wedding gift. I knew that the person who commissioned my services would tell me about the couple and then set me free to come up with something appropriate. So…I agreed.
The bride and groom are both devoted disciples of Christ and have a passion for helping others. It took me a couple of months, but I finally came up with something (wild though it might be) that would be a symbol of their passion for each other, their Lord and for touching the lives of others.
I made it out of steel and copper and embellished it with some metal leaf. I call it “Light Your World”.

The thing weighs ten pounds, so you can’t just pop it in a gift bag and head to the wedding. So…..I decided that instead of the usual bag or paper covered box, it should travel to the couple in a wooden crate adorned with the brand of my gallery. At that point I had to cut and paste, since I had neither crate nor brand.
I started with the brand.

I fashioned the initials “BRG”, for Bend in the Road Gallery, out of steel and

and made myself a branding iron.
Then I built a crate

and fixed a slot for the base of the sculpture to slide into so that it wouldn’t move around.

Next I started a fire and heated the branding iron. Before long, I had made my mark

on the lid of the crate. Now, I just have to secure the lid, and that box will be checked.