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I'm back in Spain until mid-June and while here, I'm working on putting together a small workspace where I can create whatever comes to mind. It's been a "fun" challenge navigating the language barrier and trying to find local resources for doing metal sculpture. There is no shortage of inspiration through the local architecture and history however my attempt to work with copper has had the challenge of no access to sheet copper that can be easily and locally obtained. I also thought I would do some scrap metal art however, scrapyards are not that easily found here in Spain. They have a very tight procedure from the "birth" of a vehicle to its inevitable "death". Once a car stops working, it goes to a scrap yard. It's stripped of all of its reusable parts then resold. What's left goes to the recycler where it gets crushed and reused. I found a few places that would sell me entire engine blocks but no place where I could walk around and pick up small gears and parts. So I've turned my attention to trying clay sculpting with the goal of going to a local foundry that I found where they can pour a bronze sculpture. And I did find a local source for Corten sheet and will be buying my first welder here in Spain. Hopefully you'll start seeing some videos coming out of my time here in Spain. Thanks for all of your support as I navigate my ever changing life. The photos are a few I took while in Barcelona and visiting some of Antoni Gaudi's incredible architectural achievements. 

Well, it's been forever and a day since my last post or published video. However a great deal of change has happened in my life which is part of the reason for my lack of interaction with my YouTube channel. I know I always say this, but I'm truly hoping to get better about posting videos here on the channel. For starters, I'm back in Spain and have been here since November 1st. and I only return to Arizona Jan. 9, 2024. As mentioned in an earlier post, I decided to make some serious changes in my life, so I applied for and recently received my Spanish Residency visa. Basically now I can travel back and forth without much restriction regarding how long I stay. And a bonus as part of the application process, I was required to purchase Spanish health insurance which much cheaper than the US and offers much more. Full coverage for $100 a month. And I mean full coverage, medical, dental, eyes all rolled up into one insurance plan. 

My shop in Tucson just got the roof installed, so moving forward on that project even though I'm in Spain. Next will be insulation and electric but kind of hung up in permits for the electric. When I return, I have a couple sculpture projects I'll get some video on and eventually I'll upload videos from Spain and doing metal work here. It has been a bit more of a challenge here than I thought. The ability to simply walk around a junkyard to find scrap metal pieces has not been possible since they don't really have "junkyards" so to speak.  Cars and motorcycles are tracked via serial number until the day they stop running. After that, the vehicle/motorcycle is turned over to a company that scraps the item for parts and resells the parts that work and then turns over the remaining left over pieces to a certified recycler whose is responsible for reporting to the government which serial numbers will be decommissioned and removed from service. I was very surprised how thorough the process is and how little opportunity there is for scavenging small parts for sculptures. 

In any case, the challenge is good as it makes me think out of the box and come up with different methods and or ideas. Either I hope to get back into the video making scene soon. 

And if you've made it this far in the rambling, I have started another channel about my soon to be adventures in Spain. It's called  @AdventuresofanAmericanin-dr9hb  , there's not on there yet except for the craziness I've had to go through in order to get the visa but soon there will be a variety of things like hikes, cool towns, food, events etc. 

That's it for now until I can get some videos out.

Doug 

When you're in the desert and you have to haul water and at the same time you're having a big 40 ft by 40 ft concrete slab poured you find any way possible to hold water to keep that concrete wet 

Location of the new shop is getting leveled and prepped for concrete 

It's been a very busy couple of months since my last post. I am officially out of my industrial workshop and set up at a friend's property temporarily. I was in my workshop since 2015 so it was a difficult decision to pack it all up without having a solid next step. And in all honesty, there were a few times when I seriously questioned my decision. I feel it was made more due to my ego and not strategically. The catalyst for the move was nothing more than my landlord raising my renting an additional $520 per month. I felt it was too much and without ample notice. So, I refused to pay such an increase and I gave my notice. 

The new space, while temporary hasn't come without some level of sacrifice and headache. During the process of moving, the next-door neighbor has been a pain in the ass and filed a complaint with the county regarding the structure I built, and his wife felt it appropriate to flip us off after we waved and smiled as neighbors do. 

We haven't heard from the county and I'm not concerned as I know this place is only a temporary space to keep working moving forward as we make the transition.

And as of last night, an offer I put in on a 9-acre property in Tucson was accepted. SO, it looks like we'll be packing it all up and moving this show to southern Arizona. It will take some time to make this next step as I still need to get my permits in order to build etc. 

To make things more "fun", I actually leave for Spain at the end of this month for a month and a half. This will leave Robin in the temp shop keeping the work going and on occasion my son my step in to assist. He's in the early stages of launching his own business making "weightlifting swords". Odd concept but he's been getting a steady flow of orders. The swords aren't sharpened but the focus is on how it looks and how much it weighs. It makes me proud as a father that he has taken the skills Robin and I have taught him and he's making them work for his new business ideas. 

And I promise now that the dust has settled for a little bit, I will get back to making videos. Thanks for all of the support. 

I'm starting another YouTube channel. And I would like your opinion on the name of the channel. Basically, I want to get into the gaming niche on YouTube. The channel will consist of me welding a metal sculpture of a gaming character and showing in time lapse form. Each sculpture will be auctioned off or be sold on a website. Sculptures may include Mario from Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Optimus Primal from Transformers, etc. I also may add in some weapons, armor or anything else that looks fun to build. The Artfully Rogue channel will stick around with How To and build videos. Thanks! 

As I wrap up January and get ready to head into February, every day is filled with something to do. Priority number one is get prepared for the upcoming Tucson Sculpture Expo that's happening March 17-19. All three of my existing sculptures that I plan on bringing, need some level of work to prepare to show. I'm also trying to create a few new ones in the short time that I have before March 16th. 

At the same time we've started the process of packing up the shop and getting ready for the move just north of Phoenix to a more rural temporary location. Hopefully during this year I'll be able to locate a commercial property where I can start construction of a new more permanent shop space. 

Hey everyone,
So, I'm sitting here in Spain watching YouTube videos on how to improve my YouTube videos...weird, right? Maybe its "mid-life crisis" thing, but I'm feeling the need to make some big changes. Not just in my personal life but in my business life as well. 

When I created the Artfully Rogue biz it was the intent to avoid being "put in a box" or "labeled" a certain type of channel. However, like any business, in order to succeed there needs to be a clear vision.  And over the years, one thing has remained true, I want to share what I learn with others. Plain and simple. The successes and well as the failures. 

Let's talk about this first big change on the horizon. I'm leaving my shop which I've occupied since 2015 and moving to a piece of proprerty north of my current location. Here's the catch, I'm currently paying rent on a box with four walls. I'm moving to a piece of land with no workable box to set up in. So, it will be necessary to build a workspace so work can continue ...hopefully without much interruption.  

Sometimes it feels like stepping back a bit, however the bigger picture is a move to a piece of property where I can build a much larger shop. 

The main reason for making this change is due to the fact that my landlord of the shop decided to raise my rent $520 above what I currently pay. And only gave me one week to either pay the increase from $1200 to $1720 or pay month to month. I'm not one to bow down easily. Hence the decision to move out and make the change. 

On the positive side, I'm hoping to video the process which I hope engages more viewers which will in turn continue to grow the channel. 

Thanks to all your continued support, comments and inspiration to keep sharing what I learn.
Doug 

It has been a very long time since my last community post. Hell, it's been a while since my last video post, not including the recent Vevor plasma review video recently uploaded. 
It's been a very busy year and I found myself more often than not, working on more water features than art. It became more challenging to come up with ideas for videos when I kept making the same thing over and over again. 

However, for 2023, there are big changes coming for Artfully Rogue the business. Let me bring you up to speed.
In August of last year, I began feeling a bit stagnant. The water feature side of the business was going strong and only getting stronger, however I was beginning to feel empty inside. My passion is art and sculpture, but my time was being dominated by the water features. Any interesting problem to have, making decent money, business growing stronger but not feeling fulfilled creatively. So, I decided to take a break from the shop (kept my guys working) and go on a little walk. On Sept 1, 2022, I left St. Jean Pied du Port and began walking the Camino de Santiago. It's a 500 mile walk across Spain. If you've never heard of it, look for the movie called The Way with Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez. I finished my walk in about 33 days and I returned to Phoenix with a new fire under my ass. I needed to change many things. 

First, I began the process of separating my Artfully Rogue business into two separate businesses. Artfully Rogue will be the "I'll build custom whatever I want business". The new business, called Fountain Metalworks, LLC. will be dedicated to building water features. I'm still in the process of creating that clear separation with a new website currently under construction and new social media channels for the new business. Fountain Metalworks will only manufacture and sell water features. My end goal is to build the business identity and by the end of 2023, sell it. I want to sell this business to someone looking for a solid product-based business who's willing to bust their ass and earn good money. 

Secondly, I want to re-brand myself. I want Doug Boyd to me known as the metal artist, not Artfully Rogue. I have started investing more time and energy in applying for more sculpture jobs. I applied for and got accepted into the biggest sculpture expo in Arizona which takes place this coming March in Tucson. 

Thirdly, as part of re-branding myself, I'm toying with the idea of a new channel on YouTube that will allow me to create more art but in the gaming world. I'm not much of a gamer myself. Hell, I don't game at all any longer however some of the content coming out regarding games have some incredibly creative possibilities. The concept involves creating sculptures of gaming characters in metal. Right now, it's just an idea, so we'll see if this takes off.

More currently, I am closing down my current shop space. I have been in this shop since 2015 and it has been amazing however it's time to move on. Then landlord is raising the rent and I no longer want to pay her mortgage. I will be moving to a new space although it will be temporary, maybe one year. At the same time, I have been looking for a new property where I can build my own shop on my own land.  As of this writing, I'm currently the "due diligence" phase of purchasing a new property in Northern Arizona. I have applied for rezoning permits, and it will depend on whether I'm approved or not if I continue with the purchase of the property. My ideas are not conventional so it may be difficult to acquire the permits needed in the location I chose. I'll keep you updated. 

On the personal side, you may or may not remember that my girlfriend has been battling cancer for the past 7 years. Every time we think she is over the hump and on the mend, she's hit with another tumor somewhere else in her body. She's a bad ass for sure and I'm extremely proud at how strong she has been. Mentally she is still a warrior however her body has taken a beating and we're not sure how much more abuse it can handle. This is another reason for many of my changes in life and work. By the end of 2023, I want to split my time in the US and in Europe.

I've grown tired of the political climate and division in the US and since my return from Spain have decided that I am better suited to live abroad. As of this writing, I am currently in Spain again with a friend that I met on the Camino. He's showing me around and I'm considering the possibility of buying a small property here to have a small workshop here as well. It's my hope that I can break into the sculpture world here in Europe as well. When I came back from the Camino, I began trying my hand at sculpting clay with the goal of creating bronze sculpture. We'll see how it goes.

So, as you can see there is a great going on in my life. It's my hope that I can share the progress with you by creating more content and sharing what I have learned over the years and introducing you to new experiences.

As always, thank you so much for the support here on this channel and in life in general. I have had the opportunity to meet some of you and it has always been a pleasure to know that there are like minded creative people in the world willing to share knowlege and experiences. 

Alright, I'm going to take a moment to rant just a little. Someone must have left the door to the idiot room open and a few were able to get online. All of sudden I'm getting comments on a video that was done in 2017 and people are bitching that I should update the prices to reflect 2022. The video, "How to make a barn door for under $100" let's be realistic... in 2022 you can barely buy a couple 2x4's and piece of plywood for under $100 nowadays. SO should I remove all videos that are not current with todays prices? Or is it possible for people to view older videos and understand that although the prices may be inaccurate, the method used to build the product hasn't changed.