Nigh Ox Newsletter

August 2001

Artistic Smithing at Tillers

Those of you who are familiar with Scott Lankton know that he didn't actually shoot an anvil, and that it would have only detracted from the excitement Scott brought to the class. Scott Lankton taught an unprecedented 12 students at Tillers this June. With his flair and expertise he demonstrated the beauty that can be made with iron. During the two day class he covered scrolling techniques, animal figures, leaves, upsetting, punching holes, and joining pieces together without welding. Scott explained fabrication from a production point of view without losing sight of the imagination and individual artistry that go into every piece.

Cutting out and forging hinges and hammering out bronze leaves inspired students to try the different techniques, and everyone left with a delicate hook or shapely scrolls. Though at times the heat made working at the forge uncomfortable, creativity never waned.