Denys Tsiov grew up in Ukraine and Argentina, but it was after he moved to Windsor, Ontario that he discovered what would become his passion: being a blacksmith. “There was a lot of scraps and stuff lying on the floor at the shop I worked at, so I asked the owner if I could take it to do something [with them],” recalls Denys. “I used to play around with the steel for sculptures and put them by my garage door. One day, someone stole my sculptures. At first, I was upset but I then realized that if someone stole them, then someone must have liked them.” That was the start of a journey that led to the creation of Montreal-based metalworking design company L’Art Forgé in 2004.
His initial plan was to become an artist. He studied Fine Arts and began making metal sculptures that he displayed in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. However, it was tough to pay the bills. “The life of an artist is complicated,” says Denys. “You have to do business. So I took an entrepreneurial program at school called SAJE Montreal that gave me some formation and grants. The Fondation du Maire de Montreal gave me grants too."
They gave me grants and it helped [me] come up with a business plan. That’s how L’Art Forgé got started.” L’Art Forgé produces ornamental ironwork, structured beams, railings and decorative objects.
