john t. unger studio

Celebrating Seven Years of Sculptural Firebowls and Sculptural Firebowl No. 1000

2012-05-18T16:48:17-04:00

I created the very first Great Bowl O' Fire on May 30, 2005.The seventh anniversary is coming right up!

When I first came up with the idea, I never expected to make more than one. I thought it would maybe get me some mentions on blogs and that I'd move on to making other things. I certainly had no idea that within five years I would have shipped a firebowl to every state and over ten countries, or that the firebowls would make the New York Times (twice!) or that they would bring so many people together.

Today marks another milestone as well. Mandi in Hoover, Alabama just ordered Sculptural Firebowl No. 1000! An Isosceles Modern Sculptural Firebowl. As a thank you gift for helping me hit that landmark, I'm also sending her one of my last remaining Bottle Cap Fish Mosaics— Silvertone: Bottle Cap Fish Mosaic No. 29.

I'm deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to make a decent living in the arts while enriching other people's lives. It's been an exciting seven years as I've built and grown the studio… and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.

The very first Great Bowl O' Fire currently resides at Ascension Church in Oak Park, IL, where it is used for Easter Vigil liturgy.

Waves O Fire Firebowls at Grand Opening for Seaworld San Antonio's Aquatica Waterpark

2012-05-17T17:40:54-04:00

Tomorrow is the VIP Grand Opening for Seaworld San Antonio's new Aquatica Waterpark and two of my Waves O' Fire Firebowls will be a part of the celebration. The firebowls are a temproray installation just for the Grand Opening, but there is a strong possibility that I'll be doing some custom stingray themed firebowls for the Aquatica later in the year.

The Waves O' Fire fire features will be on display for the public Grand Opening, Saturday, May 19 through May 21st and I'm told there will also be fire dancers and performance of some kind. I hope to get some great photos and video of the event soon. If you're in San Antonio or nearby, stop in for the show!

I'm totally planning a visit to Aquatica on my next trip to Texas because I want to see the Ke-Re Reef, where you can touch and feed Cownose and Southern stingrays— Seriously, how cool is that!

Great Bowl O Fire Firebowl with Stone Benches

2012-05-07T22:29:38-04:00

Lori in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan just sent me the above photo with a note: "We love our new firebowl and thought you might like a photo. You do beautiful work!"

I love the way this installation turned out. I made the base a little shorter than usual by special request, since the firebowl was to be installed on the slab of stone. The ring of stone seating is a beautiful mix of function and natural landscape. The natural gas line that runs through the stone slab into the Great Bowl O' Fire is perfectly concealed.

Big Bowl O Zen at Nada Restaurant in Cincinnati

2012-04-23T16:53:13-04:00

On the drive down to SXSW this year we decided to take a few days extra and enjoy the trip, stopping to photograph some of the more awesome Firebowl installations that were (sort of) on the way.

The first stop was Nada, a stylish purveyor of "ingredient driven, contemporary Mexican cuisine." The reviews on Yelp led me to believe the food would be excellent, which proved to be more than true. The pork green chili burrito I had was one of the best Mexican meals I've ever eaten, and the Mexican mac 'n cheese also lived up to the hype. Everything from the ambience, to the service, to the food and drinks was superb.

After we ate, I shot some photos and talked to General Manager Allison K. Shaw and Assistant General Manager Chris Smith. They both expressed how much the restaurant and it's patrons enjoy the 41 inch Big Bowl O' Zen, which is lit every evening during the colder months. They told me that they remove the firebowl during summer to make room for more seating and that everyone on staff fights to be the one to take it home for the season.

I'll definitely have to return during the evening for dinner and some photos of the firebowl litup.

One of the design touches I really liked was the seating around the Big Bowl O' Zen. The fence-post back rests on the larger benches really appeal to me. I also liked the carved wooden benches that look like they come from the roots of giant trees.

Firewood for the Big Bowl O' Zen is stacked between urns at the front of the restaurant patio, creating a nice visual effect and defining the space.

Heat lamps provide a little extra comfort. Because the restaurant faces a large open plaza, I suspect it gets a bit windy at times.

The Lanterns in the trees were one of my favorite design elements of the patio area. Even though it was a cold day when we visited, the lanterns incandescent filaments added a nice touch of warmth.

A shot from the plaza showing the front face of the restaurant and the firewood stacks for the Big Bowl O' Zen. The designer did a great job of combining modern architecture with rustic elements.

Looking toward Sixth Street and the corner of the Contemporary Arts Center directly across the street.

Closeup of the lamp filaments in the trees.

Looking straight up into the tree lamps at a wintery March sky.

The Great Bowl O' Fire Firebowl in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales

2012-02-26T15:17:26-05:00

About a year ago, I shipped my first Sculptural Firebowl to Australia, a Great Bowl O' Fire Sculptural Firebowl for a log home in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Craig just sent me some photos of the firebowl, now that they've finished their landscaping. I like the rough log pavillion for what looks like a pizza oven. Now that I think of it, a patio pizza oven seems like a pretty brilliant idea!

Meridian Sculptural Firebowl at Allure Waikiki

2012-02-18T21:23:41-05:00

Photo Credit: Eric Staudenmaier.
Click here to enlarge image.

The largest firebowl I've done to date is the 53 inch diameter Meridian Sculptural Firebowl installed on the 6th floor pool deck at Allure Waikiki. I absolutely love the above photo by Eric Staudenmaier and how it captures the glow of the fire on the teak deck. If Eric were based in Hawaii rather than LA, I'd absolutely hire him to shoot all of the other firebowls installed in hotels throughout the Hawaiin Islands!

This firebowl was quite a challenge to make, ship and have installed really— it weighs around 600 pounds and required a crane to put in place. Here's a video I shot before shipping it that shows the relative size of the 53 inch firebowl next to a standard 37 inch Meridian firebowl.

I also posted a video on my Facebook page that shows the crated firebowl being lifted into the freight truck with a bobcat. If you're into that kind of thing.

Drawing with the heat of 4.5 suns in your hand

2012-01-29T16:38:40-05:00

When most artists say they are "on fire" they mean that they're inspired. When metalworkers say it, you should reach for the nearest entinguisher.

I make jokes about "catching fire a little bit" while working in the studio, but the truth is— there's a lot of sparks flying around when you cut and grind steel and no amount of safety gear is going to protect you completely. Just like line cooks get used to hot grease spattering, you get used to the sparks. You also get really good at removing hot pans from the oven.

The carbon steel I cut firebowls from melts at 2600°F–2800°F. The handheld plasma torch I cut with is around 45,000 °F. That's 4.5 times hotter than the surface of the sun. Think about that a minute— I'm holding a torch that is more than four times as hot as the sun!

Because I'm holding the torch in my hand, my hands take the brunt of the sparks. For the most part, as you can see in the photo above, the sparks are on the other side of whatever I'm cutting. But there's a also a backsplatter of molten steel that shoots directly at the back of my left hand as I steady the torch. These sparks used to catch my gloves on fire pretty routinely. Even when the metal cools enough in the air not to cause a fire, it's still pretty hot and you can get a bit of a suntan inside your glove.

The thing is— in order to cut really intricate and smooth lines, you want to minimize the amount of safety gear that weighs you down and causes friction, while simultaneous preventing injury. Imagine trying to draw delicate lines while wearing hockey or football protective gear. Same thing really. And although its nice not to constantly set your hand on fire, as the metal builds up on the heat shield, it tends to catch on the surface of the bowl as you move, making it much harder to draw smooth lines.

Here's a photo of a new glove, a glove with a new Aluminized Carbon Kevlar® Heat Resistant Backhand Pad, and a glove with a kevlar shield that has built up a thick coating of molten steel over the course of a couple months. Kevlar, as you may know already, is what bullet proof vest are made from.

Molten steel buildup from several months on the surface of a glove.

Note the holes where steel has burned right through the Kevlar.

A brand new pad after cuttin a single firebowl.

Fire Features at Wichita Waterwalk

2012-01-19T14:25:07-05:00

Photo Credit: Chris Rush

This photo of the King Isosceles Firebowl at WaterWalk Place in Wichita is stunning! Chris did a great job of shooting a night photo that still gives a sense of the landscape around the firebowl.

WaterWalk Place is a multi-use destination on the banks of the Arkansas River in the heart of the city's cultural, entertainment, government and business center. Featuring upscale shops, luxury living and premium business sites. Seasonal activities within the development include outdoor concerts, art fairs, charity benefits and holiday celebrations. The Waterwalk Commons features fountains, greenbelts, walking paths and two of my Sculptural Firebowls.

The pictures by Vanessa below give a nice sense of how the King Isosceles fits into the larger landscape. It was very kind of Vanessa to forward her pictures and the one by Chris.

Photo Credit: Vanessa Johnson

Waterwalk also has a Waves O' Fire Sculptural Firebowl installed, but I only have photos of the waves bowl taken during construction. If anyone in Wichita would be willing to send me updated photos of the Waves O' Fire, I'd be deeply grateful!

Photo Credit: Daniel Earnest

More S'mores at Frankford Hall

2012-01-08T14:41:16-05:00

Christina Celenza and Tyler Roy enjoy toasting s'mores on a recent date at Frankford Hall in Philadelphia.

The photo shoot, organized by Nick Silva and shot by Pete Hall, turned out great! I love the star-like lights in the trees in the first photo and Christina and Roy are such a cute couple in their photos.

This is a perfect example of what I love most about the internet— I put out a call on Twitter and Facebook looking for photos of Frankford Hall and several people responded. What makes it even better is hearing back from all of them that they had so much fun doing the shoots. I think I'll have to try organizing similar outings at some of the other restaurants that have my firebowls on display.

Sculptural Firebowls sell 1000s of s'mores for Philadelphia's Frankford Hall

2012-01-07T15:25:44-05:00

I don't usually post press releases to the blog, but this is such a good story I feel like it works.

Campfire cookouts come to the city as Philly beerhall puts the fun into functional art.

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Meade

Surprise success of snack sales could point the way to a new restaurant trend— Handcrafted firebowls from John T. Unger Studio are sparking increased food and beverage sales for Frankford Hall, a Philadelphia, PA, biergarten with a modern twist. The popular draw of a Big Bowl O' Zen Sculptural Firebowl inspired the restaurant to order a second firebowl, subsidized by food sales.

"My firebowls are popular with hotels and restaurants for their beauty and ambience as well as their functional warmth, durability and maintenance-free upkeep" said John T. Unger, owner of John T. Unger Studio, Mancelona, Mich. "By adding toasted treats to the menu, the folks at Frankford Hall have discovered a way to generate direct income from my firebowls."

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Meade

Frankford Hall, a property embodying the spirit of an open-air German biergarten set in an industrial structure was a fitting location for Unger's work. "Our space called for a fire pit and our designer, Richard A. Stokes loved the rustic and natural look of the Big Bowl 'O Zen," said Greg Root, general manager of Frankford Hall, one of the Starr Restaurants.

Once the Big Bowl 'O Zen was installed Root came upon an added benefit. He began selling the ingredients for a classic dessert, S'Mores at "a buck a pop." The idea not only took off, but Frankford Hall began selling thousands of the s'mores. "We were seeing such tremendous draw for the s'mores, we decided to add a second firebowl," said Root. Restaurant patrons enjoy the firebowls' warmth and social atmosphere while also creating a fun treat. The tradition and nostalgia of cooking over an open flame has almost universal appeal.

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Meade

"When homeowners purchase my firebowls, they begin a legacy to be be passed down to future generations. I love being able to foster family traditions and togetherness," said Unger. "Public installations in hotels or restaurants are also satisfying for me because thousands of people a year are able to see and enjoy my work. The ability of the artwork to generate additional revenues for hospitality venues is an exciting and attractive benefit."

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Meade

Twelve Tasy Recipes to Try on Your Firebowl

For the most part I've gone with simpler recipes in the list below and avoided fish and fowl for safety (you wouldn't want to undercook those). If you are a seafood fan, there are some promising recipes included in the list where I found most of these: 50 on a Stick: Recipes to grill your entire meal on skewers. If you find any recipes that you'd like to share, I'd love to hear about it!

About Frankford Hall: Frankford Hall embodies the spirit of an open-air German biergarten presented with a modern twist. Set in an industrial structure, the space creates a unique urban experience for those looking to enjoy a cold brew and brats of all kinds. With nine beers on tap, ten more in bottles and giant, warm pretzels, the true essence of Bavaria is represented at its best in this Fishtown fun spot. www.starr-restaurant.com

History of S'Mores: Per the Girl Scout Alumnae website, the S'more lacks a confirmed history. However, they relate that the first record of a s'more dates back to a 1927 recipe printed in a Girl Scout manual called Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts.