September Conferance

Randy McDaniel began his experience in blacksmithing with an 81-year-old blacksmith in 1972. An important part of his blacksmithing experience has been advancing others skills and visions. Randy has taught basic and advanced workshops for more than twenty-five years. These include workshops at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA, Penland School of Crafts, J.C. Campbell Craft School, Appalachian Center for Crafts, Peters Valley Craft School and for many regional blacksmithing groups. Randy was also a lecturer/demonstrator for the 1990 Artist-Blacksmith Association of North America´s International Conference at Alfred, New York.

Randy McDaniel will be doing a demonstration on “the Birds & the Bees ” for the Bonneville Forge Council´s September 2010 Blacksmith Conference. Mr. McDaniel will clean up this subject by showing how to forge a variety of birds and bees in sheet and solid steel. He will also do a demonstration on forge welding which encompasses a medley of different types of forge welds and their uses.

Randy´s blacksmithing experience includes a wide diversity of works that runs the gamut from designing and producing personal and whimsical items to large-scale lighting, gates, grilles, fountains and sculptural pieces. Besides forging steel he enjoys working in copper, bronze and titanium and has recently added laser cutting to expand his designs.

Mr. McDaniel is also known for writing and illustrating “A Blacksmithing Primer, A Course in Basic And Intermediate Blacksmithing.” Due to the success of its first personally published edition, it is now published by Finney Books. Blacksmiths, blacksmithing groups and even schools around the world are using this book to teach basic to intermediate forging, along with the companion video/DVD. For other examples of his work, see http://www.drgnfly4g.com

“Creating works in metal is a way for me to express a three-dimensional feeling of motion, life and fun. My whimsical designs perpetuate a lighter heart for all; for myself while creating and for the client over the years.”
    -- Randy McDaniel

Michael J. Saari´s
demonstration will focus on traditional architectural hardware. He will be showing how he creates Stag Horn hinges and complimentary hardware such as latches and handles. He was introduced to blacksmithing while working summers at Old Sturbridge Village, Massachusetts; New England´ss largest living history museum. He studied history and art at Nichols College and when finished, delved into blacksmithing full time, encouraged by multiple commissions from Minute Man National Park and Faneuil Hall in Boston (also known as Quincy Marketplace). Other examples of his traditional jobs include: historical work for Mount Vernon in Alexandria and Trinity Church in Boston where he made restoration/reproduction hardware for specific areas in need of repair. Michael also produced 20,000 pieces of hardware for the Old Barracks in Trenton.

Saari is a master metalsmith with over 25 years of experience. He has filled numerous commissions for both traditional hardware and contemporary sculpture and furniture. He delights in using centuries old skills to produce historically correct ironwork, but he also is enthralled in the spirit and heft of the metal. He likes the idea of someone seeing one of his pieces in the future and appreciating it. Studies in the art of metal working have taken him to the Philadelphia School of Art, the International Teaching Center for Metal Design in Aachen Germany, School of Art & Design, Brussels, as well as Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, IL. Additionally, his contemporary metalwork has been exhibited and represented in public collections in the U.S.A., Europe and Scandinavia. Projects have ranged from sculptures installed in Germany to large gold-leafed weather vanes for individual buildings.

A client of Michael´s quoted one of his design teachers, saying “He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his mind is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his mind and his heart is an artist.” He then stated, “Mike Saari is an artist.”

He continues hand crafting projects in his Woodstock, Connecticut studio as well as teaching at Nichols College in Dudley, MA (adjunct professor.) Examples of his work, both historical and modern can be seen at http://www.michaelsaari.com