Written by Ben Cox – In a building that most people pass by without a second glance in downtown Brownwood, high-end, custom furniture, fixtures, and finishings are being hand crafted by a local artist whose work is known to many. Darrin St Ama is the man responsible for the steer sculpture in front of the Bruner Auto Group, as well as the local Chik-Fil-A billboard cows.

 

 

His work is nowhere near limited to cattle, though. St Ama’s shop, Savage Saint, makes everything from custom hand rails and lighting fixtures, to countertops, kitchens and even the occasional bathroom.

 

Iron and copper bathroom vanity built for a client

 

One large difference his work has from mainstream furnishings is he primarily works in iron, copper, and other metals. A tour of his shop takes only a few minutes, but the ground covered in that small space will take you from a 3/4 scale recreation of the Alamo for a venue in Potosi, to a nautical themed bathroom for another customer, and to the grave marker for a beloved Pomeranian.

St. Ama, a 1986 graduate of Early High School, learned metal working in shop class while a Longhorn, but he didn’t try his hand at it again until later in life.

A gift of a small welder and some metal tubing fostered what would become a career. After crafting a dining room table and a set of chairs for his family’s own use, he was hooked.

 

Custom kitchen by Savage Saint

 

Pricing for each of Savage Saint’s jobs is subject to the requests of the client, but one thing it is not, is cheap.

“It’s high end,” says St Ama, but with the elevated cost, speed is an added bonus. For projects that could take other crafters a long time, St Ama says he can usually get the job done quicker than some, and always with higher quality.

While talking about a local job for a Howard Payne professor’s house, St Ama says “that was a fun project. It was most fun because design wise (he and the clients) were ‘right there’… and every time we were asked to come over and do something it was something that we were just excited about doing.”

 

Custom memorial being made for a clients beloved pet, Charlie

 

St Ama formerly operated locally as DS Design Ironworks, before selling that company and working in the oilfield for a time. On his return to the area, he started Savage Saint, a name his son came up with.

“Savage being uncivilized, and Saint being civilized. My Facebook page says uncivilized design, and I think thats pretty much says a lot of the things we do. Whether its iron or wood or sculpting from different mediums, we don’t specialize in anything.,” St Ama says. “Our favorite thing is when someone comes up to us and says ‘can you do this?’ and then we’ve gotta figure it out.”

 

Iron and copper shower installed by Savage Saint, featuring a reclaimed teak bench from an old speedboat

 

Those interested in Savage Saint’s work, and wishing to request a quote for a job can reach St Ama through his Facebook Page or by calling 325-203-2622.