Perhaps it's the ancient, almost mystical qualities of blacksmithing that make it so interesting. It has been practiced for thousands of years in different cultures around the globe and produces items of art and utility from the four basic elements of the world: earth, wind, fire and water.

Iron and coal, the elements of earth, are transformed by fire, which is fed by wind, the blast of air from the smith's bellows. Water is used to control the fire, to adjust the speed of the process, and to quench the finished piece.

It is a primeval alchemy, the taking of raw materials and turning them into something handsome and lasting. In the hands of the novice, a person with basic skills, it can produce items of use: a nail, a hook, a bracket, a fork. In the hands of a master, it can produce art: a gate, a fence, a railing, a leaf.

And since each item is made by hand and not a machine, no two are alike.