Mike Dumas Copper Designs Inc.

Mike just finished this copper and wood Lazy Susan. I don’t know why they’re called lazy when they are such work horses. Back in the day when our family of 7 gathered each night for meals, we would have benefited from one of these handy tools. We filled the center of the table every night with bowls and plates of food, and their small hands dived in to get the best morsels before their brother’s. The hardest part was “passing the salt, the pepper, the sauce” etc., before their own food got cold. Seven is a lot of people to please.

The most intriguing part of this piece of art, to me, is the process Mike uses to finish the edge. He starts with the piece of wood, and with his dremel tool, he hand carves the look of rough cut wood into the edge.

Then a coat or two of minwax gives the wood its color and depth. The smooth antiqued copper makes a beautiful and durable surface for the top. The rotating action on this Lazy Susan is so smooth it just makes it a pleasure to use.

Mike has made other Lazy Susan’s as well, and is in the process of creating a beautiful copper topped foyer table with this rustic edge that I will post when it is finished.

We recently finished a lighting project for the Four Winds Casino in Michigan. Mike created a 4’ copper and mica chandelier, and I made a band of stained glass to encircle the light. He made these copper embossed turtles for the bottom of the chandelier base, and the posts of the gaming area.

We also made several wall sconces and pendant lights to match the chandelier. The copper, glass, and mica accent each other so beautifully in color and texture.

This was a very time consuming project, taking several weeks to finish, but it was very rewarding when it was done.

We received positive comments from the architect, and designer alike, and look forward to posting more of the finished work when the casino project is completed.

In 2004 Mike created this copper coffee table as an entrance into the Western Design Conference, then held in Cody Wyoming. The buffalo skull, formed over a wooden mold that he carved by hand, was surrounded with his leather texture. The medallion was permanently set on the antiqued copper top, and both pieces were nailed to the top of the alder wood table with copper nails.

The table top was surrounded with wooden pieces, called applied pole, in the Molesworth style. The legs were inlaid with copper arrows that Mike hand-formed and hammered. This piece eventually ended up in Park City, UT.

A second, similar table was created for a ranch in Montana with the Rancher’s requested 2Feathers emblem in the center instead of the buffalo skull. The Cody Table II resides in Ivins, UT., in a private collection of western art which includes some beautiful pottery by Maria Martinez. Mike has designed and created other applied pole tables which are featured in private residences.

Cody Table and Thunderbird Table photographed by our friend, Frank Carter,UT 2004.

Mike made me this beautiful gift a few years ago, and it takes center stage near our dining table. The detail of the icon, pressed into the aged copper, and the craftsmanship of the wood frame with its classic lettering, and fine finish, are so simple and captivating.

We are believers, and as such we know that our view is limited. The bigger picture belongs to God. Throughout our home are beautiful affirmations that we are invited to be bold, and ask. Life gets shaky and we need the assurance that the world is not on our shoulders.

This ancient prayer has been spoken in unison, and in private whispers in our home for years. It is the foundation of simple faith.

Copper and glass; it’s what we do. And we do it with a passion. Mike and I are both addicted to the magic that comes out of the glass kiln, and when it can be accented or mixed with the incredible beauty of copper, it is an affirmation of our joy with the medium.

Not your run of the mill house numbers but, custom, hand formed copper numbers with a western flair. These distinctly unique numbers stand out on the leather textured background that will be attached to a boulder at the front of the Arizona homeowner’s property.

Each of the arrows is carefully shaped, hammered, and patinaed, then attached to a hand textured leather-look copper background. The arch gives a nice frame to the 1118, and will surely catch the eye of passers-by.

This awesome 91″ high wood and copper floor lamp was the product of many long hours of pondering. The redwood base belonged to family for many years, the pole was a find on a hike with the dogs, and the copper work is the result of Mike’s love for the desert and all things western.

Each cactus leaf is hand-crafted from copper then patinaed green with an antiqued finish. The leaves are sculpted into the shape of a prickly pear.

The shade is a knotty alder frame covered with hand-textured leather finish copper, and sculpted steer and star designs. The inset is amber mica.

The top section is an 1880′s wooden and hand forged iron wagon wheel, 27″ in dia. adorned with 10 pair of vintage spurs.

The lamp post is juniper found in a dry wash, and the base is a redwood slab. The Tejas Lamp is made for a large open space where the warm glow of copper and the western feel are desired.

As long as I can remember, our garage has been filled with pieces of metal and scrap stuff. I used to call it “junk” and longed to clean it out and be able to actually park in the garage. That was before Mike had the time to really use his collections and put the ideas in his head to his hands. The artwork he has created from all this stuff just amazes me.

This sculpture hosts an old wagon wheel and a pair of vintage spurs, a scrap of fence post, and some barbed wire, all pulled together with one of Mike’s handmade, signature cactus figures. I swear we could have run onto this very scene on a hike in the desert near our home, and just carried it home.

Maybe after the sun beats down on our car a few more years, it will be included in a beautiful sculpture too! :)