I've been doing some work for a wonderful calligrapher called Cherrell Avery who is currently doing a residency at the V&A. We had a talk about what she wanted to make - she has been inspired, in her residency, by the metalwork galleries, so we decided she should come into the forge to have a look at what could be done.

Having never taught or even had people watch me forge, it was rather a strange experience - I was scared I would make a huge mistake or try to teach her something wrong. But it went well, and we made some static, scrolled letters and then beat a bar out of shape using the power hammer to make the word "Now" in cursive script.

The results were quite beautiful - I've been interested in calligraphy for a long time and I've been very lucky to have had this opportunity to work with someone with such experience and skill. I think the cursive script suits my style of metal working better.

But, when all of the letters of the more traditional, static ones were done, I found them very interesting. I hadn't worked on that small, detailed scale in solid steel. But I think Cherrell's shapes are so beautiful the steel can't help but look good.

Some Berlin Buildings

Here are some drawings of Berlin buildings - a collection of churches, town halls, and water fountains.

Buildings

The weather has been a bit horrible this week so my project of Berlin Buildings hasn't gone very well. Hopefully I'll do some more this weekend!

Italy

I went to a blacksmithing festival in Stia, Italy last week so these drawings are of the time on the train and in Florence. The festival was incredible, I learnt so much and realised just how much I still have to learn.

More Bikes

I sat in a park in glorious sunshine with a beer and some raspberries drawing my lovely new bike.

Berlin Blog Week One

I've just moved to Berlin for three months but so far don't have any blacksmithing work. This does mean I have quite a lot of time on my hands, so I thought I would use this blog to show the work I've been doing.

This week I've been mainly drawing bikes, so blog number one is the Berlin Bike Blog.









Everyone here has a bike, in varying degrees of decay. My favourites are the ones with quite a bit of rust, a basket and a dutch shape.

Open house May

I am holding an Open House in May, so if you're in Brighton please pop by. Open every weekend in May at Albert Mews, 3rd Avenue Hove.