Stephen McRae - Artist Blacksmith

In September 1993 I moved to Herefordshire from Sussex to undertake the new 2-year HND design crafts/blacksmithing course at Hereford College of Art and Design. On completion in 1995 I set up my own business just outside Ledbury in Staplow. Nearly 30 years later and a smaller workshop in the centre of Ledbury my love for making things is as fresh as the day I started.

I love to make things and metal is the medium of my choice. Its ability to be like plasticine when hot and then incredibly hard and strong when cold has always been a constant source of inspiration and fascination. The process although very physical and involved gives my somewhat erratic and dysfunctional mind a grounding that has enabled me to negotiate my way through the last 30 years. Whether it’s been traditionally forged ironwork for historically important buildings or an expression of a recent trip to the seaside in the form of sculpture for a garden, my work is varied, and I am always open for a challenge.

Up to the present day I have loved to play with the idea of creating something beautiful/interesting but with a practical function, however recently I am looking forward to producing pieces that explores a more recent personal understanding. That craft and art gives purpose and facilitates life, my life and without it I would not have survived. With recent ASD and ADHD diagnosis in some if not all my children, it feels right to embrace these unique gifts that make us who we are.