STRANGE CLOSETS

During my tour of Daniel’s Antiques super-secret warehouse, I had the opportunity to meet his neighbor Greg Kumpin, a metal craftsman who works with contractors to design and manufacture custom fences, window grates, staircases (spiral and otherwise) and the like.

Greg’s space included detailed scale models, interesting chandeliers, artfully arranged vignettes and sculptures, and it felt far more like an artist’s studio than the typical shop.

In fact, when he showed me a sculpture he created for a contractor’s project, he explained that it was rejected because it would “rust over time.”

“It’s supposed to rust over time,” Greg explained incredulously (and sounding very much like an artist).

Seeing Greg’s space made me wonder what makes something art? And what prompts some people (who clearly have an artist’s soul) to become “metal craftsman” while others accept the artist title, accoutrements and lifestyle? Are there even answers to these questions? And why aren’t these questions posed on Entertainment Tonight?

In any event, Greg can and will make just about anything from furniture to fences, but based on the work I saw, he kicks it up a notch (even the piles of scrap metal are artfully arranged and eminently photographable). To contact Greg:

New Content, Inc.
Greg Kumpin
773-235-8626