Meet the Artist
By way of introduction, my name is Lou Metcalf. I own the site and am the primary pen artist for Heritage Pens. While I specialize in crafting wood pens, there are over 60 species represented on the site today, I also make antler pens, ivory pens and resin pens. There may be other artists on this site from time to time. They all have at least one thing in common with each other. They are all close, personal friends of mine. We share a love of pen crafting and generally a number of other significant influences, such as music.
Unlike the others, my venture into making wood pens is recent. I spent many years being "unhandy" with any tool and almost any project. In fact, up until a few years ago I had two hammers...a big one for big jobs and a little one for little jobs. Likewise, I had two screwdrivers..you get the picture! All of that changed, however, when I discovered the joy of designing and creating pens. I now have an extensive collection of tools and even know how to use most of them!
I've been extremely fortunate in my pen making. A few folks have found my pens interesting and have helped in pushing me into the public spotlight. My pens are sold in several lovely art centers including Poros(Greece), Dublin (Ireland), Madrid (Spain) and Washington DC (USA). I have also been featured in several fund raising auctions such as the Myanmar Typhoon Relief, China Earthquake Relief, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Association, The Neediest Kids, Children's Hospital Center and AVERT. We also support eco-friendly organizations such as the Tropic Ventures Sustainable Forestry Project in Puerto Rico.
My goal with each pen is to enhance the beauty of the materials by carefully planning and matching each component at each step in the process. In a sense, that makes each creation a one-of-a-kind. On the site, however, I differentiate my one-of-a-kind pens in that they are typically either extremely design and labor intensive, they require the use of materials not often available or they are a custom design worked in collaboration with a client. True one-of-a-kinds are so noted on the site and when they are sold, they are gone forever.
I hope you take some time to browse through my website. It's a new and exciting time for me as I continue and expand my venture onto the Internet. Please bookmark my site and be sure to visit often as I will be adding and updating it frequently.
Warmest regards!
Lou Metcalf
Independent Pen Artist
A man who works with his hands is a laborer, a man who works with his hands and his mind is a craftsman, but a man who works with his hands, his mind and his heart is an artist. - Louis Nizer (1902-1994)
