THE EAST HAMPTON STAR, March 27, 2003
214 Springs-Fireplace: A Supportive Place For Artists - by Carissa Katz

Artists are often thought of as pioneers. Once they "discover" a place, others tend to follow. Drawn by the intangible pull of the creative spirit, we mere mortals are able to see a dormant city neighborhood, an abandoned factory, or a mildly unsightly industrial zone through the prism of the artist's vision. Artistic types are credited with transforming New York City neighborhoods like SoHo or Williamsburg in Brooklyn,"I think of it as something of a mini SoHo in its heyday," said James DeMartis, a metal worker and sculptor who moved his studio to the complex a year and a half ago. After losing his previous studio, Mr. DeMartis looked at spaces from Montauk to Westhampton Beach before finding the one on Springs-Fireplace Road. "It's like a one-stop resource for craftsmen, tradesmen, and artists," Mr. DeMartis said. He convinced the town to let him install a forge in his studio and uses it for both art and craft. The mix of arts and industry is a vital one, and Mr. DeMartis, who can fall into either category, depending on the project. "When I opened the business it was almost as if each legitimized the other." In his sculpture, Mr. DeMartis is able to make iron and hard metals defy their character and appear delicate and feather light. To pay the bills he does all sorts of metal work, from fabricating copper, zinc, and stainless steel counter tops to making stair rails, the occasional gate, and table bases and even repairing iron patio furniture...

James DeMartis is a metal sculptor and blacksmith living in East Hampton, NY. His decorative metal work, custom fabrication and metal forge work can be seen from the Hamptons to NYC. As a blacksmith and artist he serves New York State, New Jersey, Connecticut and beyond.

James Demartis Meta Studio
214 Springs Fireplace Road
East Hampton, NY 11937