Australia’s National Blacksmiths Survey Exhibition

By Chris Fuller.  The National Blacksmith Survey Exhibition, on view through February 25, 2024, in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia, is a juried exhibition where artisan blacksmiths throughout Australia were asked to submit pictures or drawings of their proposed submission for acceptance.

Unfortunately, I could not attend personally; I believe about 32 art submissions were accepted and included in the exhibition.

Being a Member and Training Course Instructor at the Artist Blacksmith Association of South Australia (ABASA), I was fortunate to have my “Octopus on an Abalone Shell” accepted and exhibited along with the many other forged pieces and sculptures.

It’s interesting to note that I sought inspiration from one of your generous fellow US citizens, Kirk Sullens, Mount Dora, Florida, after watching a short video he shared on his website.

I chose to forge the Octopus from 9 Pieces of 5/8” square bar approximately 12” long. First, forging the eight legs and punching the tentacles, then forge welding the aligned legs and mouthpiece, and finally upsetting to form the head and eyes. The legs were then formed to look realistic, and Mig welding gussets created the webbing. The shell, a 2mm copper sheet repeatedly annealed and cold worked to take the shape of an Abalone shell, became the display the Octopus is riveted to. The piece took around 12-15 hours to complete, plus the many hours spent studying videos on how Octopi actually move about.

Will Maguire, artist-blacksmith and sculptor, was the instigator of the Needle Stack Project, a collaborative work built during the opening night of the exhibition. He asked for other Australians to work on making iron needles for the project. Twenty-six of the needles contributed were forged by studious members of ABASA, proving that finding a blacksmith is not like trying to find a needle in a haystack; it is quite the opposite!