David James
Media: Blacksmith
I am a blacksmith, metalworker and designer working from our forge in the middle of the Northamptonshire countryside in England.
I had a hammer in my hand from a very early age and I have been getting things hot and hitting them since I was a little boy. I grew up in our blacksmith’s workshop helping my dad out with everything from steam engines, shoeing horses, mending and building clocks. I still work in the forge that my great great grandfather built in 1841 and use some of the same tools that he used.
I love our family history in the craft and also enjoy the tradition that goes with it. I try to encourage an appreciation in others of good design, craftsmanship and history.
After I started working with dad, I joined the British Artist Blacksmith’s Association (BABA) and was astonished by the quality and design I saw in the work of other smiths. I met lots of other blacksmiths and began to explore my own ideas of design and style and different ways of working metals.
I still love the idea of working with an intractable material and being able to shape it into countless forms. The magic of forging hot metal still entrances me but I also have a great love for other metalworking techniques and processes
I have spent my working life in the family forge, producing a wide range of objects from small handheld items to large scale architectural work and developing the ability to convey ideas on paper or later using computer aided design. We work within the discipline required for traditional styles, but also enjoy the freedom of working with contemporary design.
