Rocky Mountain Smiths is pleased to offer a three-day conference
featuring Leslie Tharp and Doug Wilson. We will have a group project, and Saturday evening will be a forging competition. Conference will be held from 12 PM Wednesday thru 12 PM Sunday at Dan Nibblelink's Shop in Berthoud, CO.

Overnight accommodations: Several hotels are within easy access to the Conference site in Loveland, CO. Space is available for overnight camping with either tents or recreational trailers, however, utility hook-ups are not provided. Campers can arrive after noon on Wednesday the 25th.

Demonstrator Bios:

Leslie Tharp is a metal artist and blacksmith based out of Gainesville, FL. She received her bachelor’s in fine arts degree in 2008 from the University of Florida and was introduced to blacksmithing shortly after at Penland School of Craft when she signed up for a class with Doug Wilson! Leslie specializes in public art and works to incorporate both modern and traditional techniques into her work. In addition to her studio practice Leslie is the owner and instructor of [Fe]ver Metal Art Center in Gainesville, where she teaches blacksmithing and welding classes.

Doug Wilson (who has done some great conference demos for RMS before) produces commissioned work which is invested with my vision, sensibilities as a designer, and skill as a craftsman; work based upon my interaction with individuals and their environments. Whether speaking of projects for individual clients or work for public environments, this has always been an enticing and rewarding challenge. Although much of the work I design and produce is contemporary in design, most all is deeply rooted in traditional techniques. My work is based on working with fire, hammer and anvil; ancient processes of hot forging iron and steel. Thus, the work is invested with strong visual character of joinery details and surface features impossible to produce by any other methods.