Grilo means cricket or grasshopper in Portuguese. It is the name given to me by my family in Brasil. It seemed all too fitting when I began my apprenticeships. "You have much to learn grasshopper."
I began working with metal in auto body class in the former auto department at Santa Monica College. From the first moment that the flame began to melt the steel, I fell in love with metalwork. From there, luck and I guess, my personality, led me to the custom knife, jewelry and motorcycle worlds. I have been lucky enough to meet and be taught by some of the most knowlegeable and skilled people in their industry. My time with Master Smith, Scott Taylor(RIP), was where I became dedicated to the art. Unfortunately, Scott died before our time together was done. With so much more to learn and experience, his widow and friends have taken over and have helped me continue my training. In the motorcycle industry, Master Builder and buisness man, Gard Hollinger of LA County Choprods, set me under his wing and lets me work and learn out of his shop. Soon enough, I had realized that I am not a knife maker, not a jeweler, not a custom bike builder, but a general metalsmith. I have never been able or willing to focus my efforts on one aspect of metal working and all my teachers laugh and shake their heads at me. This will either be my demise, or my success. Time will tell... In the mean time, I'm having a blast!
Current Residence: Los Angeles gutter
Favourite genre of music: Punk, Reggea and everything in between
Personal Quote: "Not all who wonder are lost" -J.R. Tolken