21 Jun The Family Behind the Business – Arthur Francis Sculpture
Who are Arthur Francis Sculpture?
Arthur Francis Sculpture is a family business made up of two individuals. One of them is an established engineer with traditional blacksmithing skills; and the other is a modern creator with a passion for using state of the art technology.
“Hello, can I speak to Arthur Francis please?” is the question usually asked when a call comes through to Arthur Francis Sculpture. Prompting the response explaining how the caller is through to Arthur Francis Sculpture, yet neither of us are Arthur. Arthur Francis Sculpture is, in fact, a family business formed by a Father and son duo, and neither are called Arthur or Francis. So where did the name Arthur Francis Sculpture come from?
Brent Steed of Arthur Francis Sculpture
Well, the two names are the respective middle names of Brent and Paul, and here’s the story of how Arthur Francis Sculpture came to be.
Paul, the father of the pairing has many years of experience in the strict disciplines of commercial fabrication and engineering. He left school and started his career in engineering by building canal boats and by making paper racks in his garage, in his spare time.
How the family business began
When his son, Brent, began to show an interest in the industry and a drive for learning about the ultra-modern technology surfacing within the metalworking industry, they decided to combine forces and start Arthur Francis Sculpture. Brent brought a fresh view and a passion for state-of-the-art metalworking machinery to the traditional skill set of his father. They invested in a Swift Cut CNC plasma cutting machine and Solid Works CAD software. They undertook a number of courses on using the machinery and combined these highly skilled practices with the deep-rooted engineering traditions practised by Paul. Arthur Francis Sculpture was born.
The team invest in new machinery every few years, so that they are always up-to-date with the latest technologies that the industry has to offer. Brent is always striving to keep up to the minute and Paul continues to bring his respected knowledge and experience to the table. With their combined skill and knowledge, they pride themselves on producing high-quality pieces that are constructed from the best materials available and engineered to last.
Paul Steed of Arthur Francis Sculpture
Behind each Arthur Francis product therefore, there is a blend of traditional craft techniques and state of the art technology. The pairing sometimes approach things from different angles and don’t always see eye-to-eye. However, we’ve heard that this is common among family businesses! One example of this is a story that has now become a well-known family anecdote. Paul had spent hours creating an intricate flower head from masonry nails, he proudly presented this to Brent, excited to include this on some of their products for an upcoming stall at a game fair. Brent wasn’t a fan, in fact, he hated it. He said no way could it become a part of their stand. However, Paul persevered, and the flower head made a feature on the stand. It gained a lot of attention from people at the fair and kicked the day off as the first sale of the day! Brent had to admit that his father had been right this time! The masonry nail flower head can now be seen on a number of Arthur Francis Sculpture products.
The famous masonry nail flower
Their complementary skills and varied ideas are what make this family business work. You can follow our Facebook page to keep up-to-date with our journey.