PRIME LIVING
Any way
the wind blows
Brian J. Lowney
When David Ferro began working for a friend selling sheds and weathervanes almost 30 years ago, little did he realize that one day he’d become of one of world’s foremost creators of exquisite copper architectural ornaments that homeowners and professionals are proud to adorn their roofs.
The Bristol resident, who studied at the Rhode Island School Design and pursued classes in blacksmithing, painting, stained glass, and drawing, started creating weathervanes in 1990 and opened his studio in the Cutler Mills in 2010. In addition to making weathervanes, Ferro and his two-member staff also repair and specialize in the restoration of the historical pieces. “I start by working with the client to create a design specific to their vision of the weathervane,” the artist begins. “My knowledge directs how the piece is balanced for weight and wind resistance.” Ferro adds that once he has a working drawing, the piece is started by transferring the full-size design to a copper sheet. Strategic parts of the
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design are cut from the sheet by hand. An array of different hammers and surfaces are used to stretch and texture the copper into shape. “Each piece is hand-sculpted without the use of molds,” Ferro continues. “The finished parts are then hand-soldered together to complete the form.” According to Ferro, he’s designed and created weather-
M ay /J une 2020
vanes that have been shipped across the globe. Most are common designs but recently the studio created a four-foot replica of the HMS Bounty to top the cupola on the building in England where the original ship was built. “I also made a stylized rooster for the editor of a prominent newspaper in Istanbul, Turkey,” Ferro notes, adding that the studio has also created weathervanes for Disney World and Universal Studios. “A couple of years ago we were involved in the restoration of an entire historic ranch in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania where we re-created nine historic weathervanes and a dozen finials for the buildings there,” he shares. According to Ferro, some of the most popular designs include several types of boats, animals, aquatic-themed weathervanes, horses, cats, trucks and airplanes, plants and insects, sports and culture, and dogs. “We create more than 40 breeds, ranging from Labradors and Golden Retrievers to Giant schnauzers, Gordon Setters, and English Bulldogs,” he emphasizes, adding that he recently created a weathervane depicting a Norwich Terrier that
