The White Salmon Arts Council's featured artist this month is artist/blacksmith Tim Middaugh.
Middaugh creates hand forged ornamental and practical items for home, hearth, and business.
"About ten years ago I saw my first working blacksmith at the forge and it immediately seized my interest," he notes. "After one day at anvil seeing objects appear out of hot iron, I knew this craft was for me."
Since that time Middaugh has traveled about the United States spending time and studying with several master smiths. He established Old West Forge in 1998 and his blacksmithing school three years ago.
Last year Middaugh was elected to the board of the Northwest Blacksmith's Association. "Our association is an amazing source for the beginner as well as the experienced smith."
Established 28 years ago, it serves over 500 members from Oregon, Washington, Alaska, British Columbia, and Idaho. The NWBA offers two conferences per year with demonstrators from the United States and Europe as well as a quarterly magazine "The Hot Iron News." The spring conference is this weekend at the State County Fairgrounds in Monroe. Several of Middaugh's gorge area blacksmith students will be in attendance.
Middaugh is teaching a beginning blacksmithing class for area residents through the Columbia Gorge Community College on May 6, 7, 20, 21.
The 4-day class will be taught at Middaugh's Old West Forge School of Blacksmithing. It is designed for beginners who would like to get started right and for those with some familiarity with the forging process.
This intensive class is a series of demonstrations at the instructor's anvil, immediately followed by "hands-on" work at the students individual work stations.
Students will study and perform heat treating, punching, drifting, tapering, drawing out, riveting, splitting, scrolling and more.
Each student work station is fully equipped, complete with anvil, post vise and all the necessary tools and materials to complete their projects.
Middaugh urges those interested to come and "hear the roar of the forge and the ring of the anvil."
The class time is 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. all 4 days. Tuition is $250.
For more information call 493-4546 (days) 493-4418 (evenings).
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