Phillip Baldwin Obituary, Death – It has come to our attention that Phillip Baldwin passed away on August 24th, 2023, and all of us here at work are both startled and saddened by this piece of tragic news. Shining Wave Metals was founded by him in 1983, and at the same time, he was a founding member of the SIUC Mokume Research Group, which held its first meeting that year. Mokume-gane and Japanese Alloys was the name given to a brand-new product line that was introduced to the market in the year 1984.
Phillip once responded to a question on the use of decorative laminated metals by saying, “I feel that the use of decorative laminated metals is still in its infancy and I find this to be a heartening thought.” It guarantees that the world of mokume will never get boring and that there will always be fascinating new developments to look forward to.
An article that was published in Metalsmith Magazine in 1993, when Baldwin was barely 39 years old, discusses the transformation of Baldwin into an artist who excels in both the material process and the message of the work. This transformation was explored in an article that was written about Baldwin.
During the premiere of the short documentary titled “Blacksmith Boondoggle: The Making of ‘For Willene,'” he participated as a member of a panel of blacksmiths and made the following statement: “Community support is absolutely essential in any field.” There is not a single individual on the face of the earth who is able to accomplish this accomplishment all by themselves. The news of Phillip Baldwin’s departure has left many people in the metals industry feeling devastated and compelled to share their fondest recollections of him.
