René Petitjean, artist and instructor in the artist blacksmith program at Fleming College Haliburton School of Art and Design, said he has seen a growing interest in blacksmithing.
“There is a big demand for blacksmithing,” he said. “We started off back in 1999 with just one class and now we have doubled it.”
He said TV shows about forging and a growing market for handmade goods have made the trade more popular.
“I love the physicality of it and the history of it,” Petitjean said. “So there are lots of people that make things for the house. I do things that are architectural. We have one teacher who is a sculptor, and we had a teacher who was a sword maker.”
He added that more women are learning the trade as well and that 30 per cent of his class this year is female.
John Ducker, a graduate of the artist blacksmith certificate program, said he received the week-long course as a gift for his 50th birthday and has been hooked ever since, enrolling after in the full-time certificate program.
“I took a leave of absence from my job and came back for the fall program,” Ducker said. “I kept with it ever since.”
A former road service technician, he said he pursued blacksmithing as a passion project and retirement plan.
“When I left my full-time job, I became a full-time artist and incorporated the blacksmithing into that,” Ducker said. “It is just so enjoyable and so rewarding to see the finished product and the look when people see your products.”
For more information on the artist blacksmith course you can visit the Fleming College Haliburton School of Art and Design website.