ABOUT + Resume

I have always been intrigued by anything transformed by fire;  fire is what drew me to working metal. The excitement of a burning forge and hammering hot iron drew my attention and hooked me immediately.  Being rooted in the venerable blacksmithing tradition, I still use my hammer and anvil daily, but I also use modern power tools and computer controlled machinery.

I taught myself how to sculpt metal through reading books and experimentation. Along the way, I learned how to combine ancient and modern techniques.

I enjoy the challenge of bringing life to steel, imparting a feeling of motion and expression to an unyielding and heavy material.  What has developed is an intuitive physical process of heating, hammering, bending, welding, and grinding that produces organic and rhythmic sculptures from hard iron.

Over the last twelve years I have focused on public art.  I’m proud to have placed sculptures in some of the cities here in Florida. I believe that art enriches all of our lives and brings us together. It offers cultural identity and civic pride. I enjoy the creative process from conception to installation.

Studio visits welcome by appointment.

—Doug Hays

photo credit Steve Williams Photography

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SELECTED SHOWS AND EXHIBITIONS
2018-2014
• Mary Ann Cohen Fine Art, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

2017-2011
• Off the Beaten Path Florida Arts Tour, FL

2016-2012
• Bowersock Gallery, Mount Dora, FL and Provincetown, MA

2014, 2013, 2012
• Red Trombone Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, FL

2014-2013
•Tresor Gallery, New Orleans, LA

2013
• Lake Eustis Museum of Art “HE SHE WE” Solo/Collaborative Exhibition, Eustis, FL

2010-2012
• DeLand Sculpture Walk, group exhibition, DeLand, FL

2009-2010
• Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour, Liberty, TN

2009
• Millenia Fine Art Gallery, solo show, Orlando, FL
• Equus Invitational, group exhibition, Florida Museum of Art, Deland, FL
• 2009-2010 Annual Public Sculpture Exhibition, Eustis, FL

2008
• Equus Invitational, group exhibition 2008/09, Florida Museum of Art, Deland, FL
• Arts in Autumn, group exhibition (2008/09), Florida Museum of Art, DeLand, FL
• Florida Regional Art in Focus, group exhibition, Lake Eustis Institute, Eustis, FL
• Riverwalk Gallery of Sculpture, solo show, Bradenton, FL

2007
• Q Gallery, Orlando FL
“co-creation” exhibition, Mount Dora Center for the Arts, Mount Dora, FL

2006
• Tamarak Gallery, group exhibition, Naples, FL
•Art Collaborations, private gallery, Eustis, FL

2005
• Seldom Seen Gallery, Los Olas, FL
• Raiford Gallery, Atlanta, GA

2004 – 1992
• Philadelphia Buyers Market, Juried trade show, Philadelphia, PA
• “Time Now” Group exhibition, Nicholayson Museum of Art, Casper, WY
• “Art in the round” solo show, Lake county courthouse, Tavares, FL
• Lake Eustis Museum of Art, Solo Exhibition, Eustis, FL
• “Modern Masters” HGTV feature
• Commissioned to sculpt McCulloughs Alley Arch, City of Eustis, FL
• “Human Topography” group show, Reality Room Gallery, Washington, DC
• “Off the Wall” Solo show, The Blue Room, Orlando, FL
• “Lake County Showcase” Group exhibition, Lake Eustis Museum of Art, Eustis, FL
• “Form and Function” Solo Show, Lake Sumter Community College, Leesburg, FL
• “Ritual Vessels, Primitive Structures” Mount Dora Center for the Arts, Mount Dora, FL
• “Florida Artist of the month” Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando, FL
• “It’s About Time” Brookfield Craft Center, Brookfield, CT
• “Clockworks” Group exhibition, Gallery I/O, New Orleans, LA