It was seeing examples of ironwork from the Middle Ages that first instilled the deep respect and admiration that Robert Harvey has for the noble craft of blacksmithing. The blacksmith was central to the life of the village. At times handyman, but always craftsman. Perhaps more functional than artistic, his reputation nevertheless rested on everything he made. That is not to say all smiths were utilitarian; far from it: A rigid apprenticeship, which ensured that the skills and techniques were mastered, venerated and passed on through generations, served to give all smiths an intense grounding in their craft. How the individual smith chose to use and further his knowledge upon embarking on his chosen path was as personal as it is today. Some were happy to pursue a quite life in the villages, some sought higher rewards, and were the craftsmen responsible for the most beautiful and progressive work to be seen in the cathedrals and royal palaces, which is marvelled at even today when viewed with an esoteric eye. But both the village smith, and the ecclesiastical master (For it was the church that provided the greatest opportunity for the smith to display his skills) were highly skilled and respected men. In fact, around the 13th century, the blacksmith was considered to be on a higher social scale than Architects and Physicians. It was then readily understood that apart from the wonderful items he created, it was he who was responsible for making the tools used by the other crafts and trades. As the motto of the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths states; ‘By hammer and hand, all arts do stand’

The fact that even now we use the same basic tools and techniques as those who discovered how to smelt and work iron more than 3000 years ago is both surprising and humbling. Take away the electric tools and modern technology, and the modern blacksmith, using the ancient techniques, can still make pretty much all his ancestors could; although there is no longer the call for ploughshares, pot hangers, rush nips, weapons, leg-irons and gibbets there once was.

The art of blacksmithing has progressed beyond the purely functional. The modern Artist Blacksmith seeks to push forward the boundaries of creative metalwork; combining functionality with form, with one respectful foot in the past and the other reaching as far as it can into the future; he is always striving and searching for new avenues of inspiration.

Artist Blacksmith Robert Harvey, based near Winchester, Hampshire, and buoyed up with his love of the historical aspect of the craft of blacksmithing, draws inspiration from the natural world, and uses fire, hammer and anvil to impart sinuous beauty and movement into an otherwise hard, uncompromising material.