Rachel Miller
Spirit Ironworks
Rachel Miller
"Creativity and pursuing your passion had always been in our family. From a very young age I was always drawing and doing crafts projects. So when it came time to choose a career path it was only natural to study art. I originally went to the University of the Arts with the intention of studying illustration. But a ten-minute welding demonstration led to a not so minor obsession with metal. Most of my time from that moment forward was spent in the metal shop welding together steel sculpture. As a blacksmith I am fascinated by functional objects, as an artist I respond to natural form, so it seemed fitting to combine the two. Presently this is the focus of my work: creating objects that are beautiful as well as functional. Artwork that is useful as well as collectible."
Timothy Miller
"My first exposure to blacksmithing was at the age of eleven. At our village blacksmith shop I saw a smith working. The red hot shards made by the blacksmith were forever emblazoned in my memory. A seed was planted. At the age of eighteen Rachel and I obtained permission to work in that same shop. Little did I know that that early collaboration would lead to a much more significant one years later. In 1999 I set up my own forge and began taking on a wide range of work. My shop grew and soon it was apparent that this was growing beyond me. In 2003 my sister and I formed Spirit Ironworks. Our collaboration has lead to much diversity in our work, along with increased quality. As far as I can see the sky is the limit. I can't wait to see what comes next."
