Still Building America—Logan Merry solves problems with functional art

Logan Merry, Deep End Studio.

Logan Merry and I met a couple of years ago. He’s actually my neighbor, and when I heard he was also an artist and fabricator, I had to check out his work. I immediately was impressed by his attention to detail and the scope of what he was undertaking, right here in Detroit. He handles everything from design, to creation, and then finally installation of anything from small architectural details to full-on building remodels and renovations.

Logan also is a tool dork, like I am. He appreciates both older, well-used machines, like his Do-All horizontal saw, and cutting-edge tech like the Dynasty 400 he’s looking to add. He’s an extremely talented and well-rounded builder, and I think you’ll enjoy getting to know him in this month’s edition of Still Building America.

JW: Could you explain what kind of work you do? What got you started? How did you decide on your career path?

LM: I consider myself a sculpture artist with a focus on functional projects. I work on a commission basis, and clients generally come to me with a function "problem" (display, surfaces, lighting, doors, hardware, railings, etc.). Then I design, engineer, and create, with an equal focus on aesthetic and functionality of the solution. Basically, I am driven to solve problems and make them look good.

I've been designing, crafting and inventing since I was a child but found in college that this passion was something I could pursue and enjoy for a lifetime.

JW: What type of background and training do you have?

LM: My mother was a music teacher, and my father was a software engineer who was raised by a woodworking-tinkering-dairy farmer. I'm sure there were an endless number of family and life influences that garnered me a mechanical and creative understanding.

In 2014 I earned a BFA at UWM in metalsmithing and jewelry design, where I had four years of formal design and technical education. I then worked as a studio assistant for Andrew Ward at Line Studio in Detroit, where I gained field experience working with many materials while thinking on my toes. On that job I found that multimedia allowed me to dream bigger, although metal likely always will be my material of choice.

These academic and professional mentors helped me understand how to monetize my skills.

JW: What is your favorite part of the job?

Fabrications by Logan Merry, Deep End Studio.

LM: I actually enjoy the whole project process front to back, from consulting to cashing checks. If I had to pick, hands-on creation definitely tops the list, but I really do dig evolving and organizing my studio.

JW: What's your future career goal?

LM: Quality over quantity. Last year I completed more than 70 commissions, which was exhilarating, but I recognized through the process that I prefer bigger-scale, higher-profile, longer-duration projects, specifically with complete creative control. The real goal is to make what I want to make and have people want it badly enough to buy it.

JW: What advice would you give your peers if they wanted to find a similar path? Not even just specifically doing exactly what you do, but in general?

LM: Do something toward the dream every day. Especially as a one-man team, if I'm not moving, nothing is. That being said, find a balance of life and work, then do your best to maintain it. Working with passion makes it pretty easy to forget that work is not life. It's important to remember when you're deep in the ditch that you still need to eat and enjoy company. The do what you love cliché is cliché for a reason; I've just been relentlessly doing what I love, and with some thought, everything seems to come as it should.

Follow Logan Merry’s Deep End Studio on Instagram: @lof8.

All images courtesy of Josh Welton, Brown Dog Welding.

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