Artisan Shop Story

The old "Ottawa Pipe Art" dream began in 2017, when I first found myself with a 100+ year old house to furnish. I immediately felt drawn towards unique steampunk-themed furniture to match the quirky, old bones of the house. As if in sync with the design of the furniture, I felt the gears in my mind start to turn. It started out with a kitchen table and chairs, a living room lamp, some shelving, and a coffee table, all built using black iron pipe. I continued to build more and more to the point where the house I lived in had reached full capacity. It was time to let my creations go out into the world, hoping to find equally unique and creative owners. My passion for pipe art has expanded into restoring and up-cycling antiques, giving them a new life and new purpose, often featuring cast iron pipe fittings.

In my earlier years, I obtained a red seal carpenter licence, as well as a gas fitter and oil licence. While earning credits towards these licenses, I learned proper building techniques, piping techniques, electrical wiring, and welding. My work as a carpenter and gas technician was short-lived at the time, as I moved towards a career as a full-time magician to follow my other passion in life. My tools went unused for several years, as I was devoted to performing professionally. Although my days were filled with a different type of creativity, my mind never stopped coming up with new creative designs…

I am excited to have brought my trade related tools and knowledge back into full use, allowing me to combine both function and art. I now divide my time between performing magic and building steampunk style art and furniture.

Over the pandemic I found my creative horizons starting to expand into working with other materials than pipes. With more wood working projects to come, I've decided to rebrand to "Artisan Shop" where my creativity can run wild in all directions.

Please browse around the site to find unique, one-of-a-kind creations, all designed and built by me. This is a place where pipe dreams become reality.

For more information on my other business, please visit www.kevinsmithmagic.com.

Thank you for visiting.
Kevin Smith