SPRING 2009

an Artist's Spark

Story and Photos by Aimee Madden

“Once I am finished, these will be paper towel holders for the art school,” she says.

Molly and Sally, two of Marigrace’s furry four-legged friends, dash in and out of the shop, pausing here and there for a quick pat on the head. Lugging a large white bag from one corner of the shop, Marigrace hoists it up and shakes several pounds of coal into a bucket. She shovels some onto the forge and starts wadding up old newspaper pages. A match is struck, and almost instantly, a warm orange glow flickers from within the black mound of coal. A few cranks on the blower, and the warm glow morphs into a bright ball of white and yellow flames. The little shop is toasty warm now, and Marigrace stands back and smiles.

“The fire feels pretty good on mornings like this.”

She piles on a little more coal and apologizes for the smoke that now billows out from the forge. Most of it is sucked up through an intake hood, but some of it lingers inside, transforming the morning sun from an open window into small smoky rays of light. Marigrace quickly pulls out the metal from the fire, part of it glowing red-orange, signaling its willingness to be transformed. Heading straight for the anvil, she places the metal down and begins to work. She knows just the right place to hit with just the right amount of pressure in order to get the right results.

“I think these will be pretty cool when they are done,” she says as she checks over her work. “They should get a good bit of use out of these.”

Marigrace Smith using the forge her uncle built for her shop.

Marigrace isn’t your typical blacksmith. With her small, thin frame, contagious smile and long dark hair, she’s the quintessential college student. For the sophomore art major at Shorter, life changed with a book. A biography on John Deere, read during her days as a home-schooled student, was the catalyst that set off a reaction to learn more.

“My mom home-schooled me, and for history class a lot of times she would have us read biographies.” Marigrace’s mom is 1984 Shorter College graduate Deborah Burrell Smith, who majored in English and education.

“I read a biography on John Deere, who was a blacksmith, and I really became interested. My mom encouraged me to find out more about it, Marigrace said.”

And from that spark, a fire was set.

Marigrace has had professional training and at the young age of 16, headed off to a folk school, along with her dad, to learn the basics. She’s been back several times since that first visit and was even given the chance to intern at the school.

“God really blessed me when it came to attending the school. It was very expensive, and I was in high school, so I didn’t have much money. I worked for my uncle and cleaned houses, and I was able to get a scholarship. I saw God’s hand in all of that, in that chance to go there. I am so thankful that I was given that chance.” The forge she works from was actually a present, built for her by her uncle. “That was really a blessing from God. A good forge costs $1,000, but my uncle looked at the one at the folk school and said, ‘I think I can make one of these,’ and he did.” She traded out equipment to a friend in exchange for the blower she uses – a tool that provides the forge with a steady stream of oxygen – and her dad found the anvil that now sits secured atop a post in the center of her shop.

Marigrace is thankful for support from her friends and family, especially her mother’s encouragement. “Over the years my mama has really been the one to stand behind me and inspired me to follow my dreams. There have been many times when I wanted to do something big, like go to the folk school, and if it were not for her encouragement I might not have done it.”

God’s hand certainly remains as an active force in Marigrace’s life, as she continues to use her own hands to cultivate her artistic talents. “Blacksmithing was a perfect fit for me. Even when I was younger, I loved to work with my hands. I also loved getting dirty and playing outside, so spending time in my shop is something I enjoy a lot.” So far, she’s made soup ladles and letter openers, toilet tissue holders and other decorative pieces. Her most ambitious project was a fireplace tool set she recently completed as a Christmas gift.

As for blacksmithing, Marigrace plans to stick with it and continue to learn more about her craft, hopefully one day turning her hobby into a career. “I would like to be self-employed one day and make big things like railings and gates,” she said with a huge grin. “I would love to do this as a full-time job. I enjoy it so much. I feel that I am so blessed.”