Raised in Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island, artist Sean Phelps grew up with a great appreciation for his natural surroundings, his art heavily influenced by this ecosystem where the mountains meet the sea. Sean moved to Nelson in 1999, and is a recent graduate of the Blacksmithing/Art Metal program at the Selkirk College School of the Arts. While maintaining a career as a firefighter in the summer, he transitions to lighting up the forge in his personal studio in the winter months, creating metal art projects with the goal of one day moving into a full-time studio practice.