A 21st Century blacksmith with roots in heritage crafts
Melissa is a professional artist blacksmith with over 30 years experience based in the Pewsey Vale, Wiltshire, England.
‘My practice is rooted in the ancient craft of blacksmithing but engages in a more sculptural way embracing modern making methods to create dynamic work as a reaction to moving through the landscape around me’
Melissa Cole is a Bronze medal holder and Fellow of The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths. She is internationally recognised for the craftsmanship of her hand-forged ironwork.
Melissa’s work ranges from commissioned gates and railings to sculpture and fine art installations. She combines contemporary design with forged and fabricated metal for external public spaces, private gardens and interiors.
More recent public commissions include wall mounted bracket and signage in central Oxford, a free standing sculpture for the new Athelstan Museum in Malmesbury and a DNA sculpture for the Cosmic Garden at Winchester University. Other public works in Oxford include a bronze and forged steel sculpture ‘Driftway Imprint’ and ‘River Route’ wall installation on Chapel Street.
Melissa has been featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs, BBC’s Escape to the Country and Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, and her work has been described as;
“Metal work that flows and wraps around itself, taking your eyes on a journey producing pieces that are solid in make-up but light and free in their aesthetic quality”
Melissa is also a private tutor running blacksmithing and sculptural metalwork courses from Moonraker Farm Forge in Wiltshire.
