Newspaper Page Text
The Studio
ARTS & CULTURE
FORGING A PATH
Blacksmith Nelms Creekmur has a passion for metal
Blacksmith Nelms
Creekmur shows off
some of his latest
creations inside his
shop in Lake Claire.
Photo by
Clare S. Richie
By Clare S. Richie
Tucked away in a quiet Lake Claire
neighborhood, is a blacksmith shop
(also known as a forge) built by hand by
resident blacksmith, Nelms Creekmur.
There, Creekmur forges practical items
with an organic aesthetic and teaches
others his craft.
“I’m proud of this place and love
visitors. When they come to the shop I
can show them what I’m doing, that I’m
ready to do business, and that they can
do this too,” Creekmur said.
Up until five years ago, Creekmur
“never once thought of becoming a
blacksmith.” His earlier passions were for
photography, writing and teaching, but
those all led him to his current vocation.
As a student, Creekmur collected
photography books like Karl Blossfeldt’s
1929 close-up photographs of plants and
living things. Decades later, Blossfeldts
images of natural symmetry, would
become a major influence to Creekmur’s
aesthetic and a daily reference in his
shop.
After college, Creekmur focused
on writing short stories, while working
manual jobs with a brick mason
and stone mason to earn a living.
“With the masons, I learned
how to use tools, hard physical
labor, how things fit together,
and the importance of getting
proportions right,” Creekmur
reflected.
While living with his wife
Renata in Milan, Italy from 1997
to 2007, Creekmur continued
writing, this time teaching
English to help pay the bills.
Creekmur and Renata welcomed
two daughters to their family
before relocating to Atlanta.
Ironically, it was Creekmur’
detested medical supplies sales
job in Atlanta that sparked
his unexpected career shift to
blacksmithing. “I thought about
what else I could do. I always
liked photography, physical labor
and making a nice line,” he explained.
Forging steel as a blacksmith appealed
to his senses. Creekmur liked the way it
felt to swing a hammer and the sound of
his tools. “I like the rhythms I make when
I’m hammering on the anvil,” he said. He
appreciated that although metal starts off
hard and cold it can become malleable
when heated and transformed into a new
shape.
He started with bottle openers
made from reclaimed railroad spikes
that he and his daughters found along
the Atlanta BeltLine. “I forge practical
household items, such as bottle openers,
grilling forks, and fire pokers - that you
like to look at and you like to hold in
your hand.”
He also creates architectural hardware
like doorknockers, door straps, shutter
hinges and small gates. Creekmur
forged door pulls, booth hooks and a
customized bar piece for The Albert in
Inman Park. Now more restaurants are
lining up for his useful art. And new
patrons are requesting bigger custom
pieces like fire baskets and side tables
held together with rivets that allow for
cleaner lines.
“I’m inspired by the curves and lines
in nature - in plants, leaves, trees but I’m
not looking to perfectly replicate a leaf,”
Creekmur said. Rather, he produces a
natural symmetry that is balanced but
not perfect. None of the scrolls on his the
fire basket or gate are exactly the same.
Creekmur is self-taught and eager
to share what he’s learned. At his
forge, Creekmur teaches beginning
blacksmithing coordinated by The
Homestead Atlanta, a central source
of classes in both heritage skills and
sustainability innovations. His classes
are always the first to sell out and receive
the most universally positive feedback,
according to The Atlanta Homestead
founder Kimberly Coburn.
“People love their time in his studio,
and his teaching demeanor is kind
enough for the shyest participant and
firm enough to make sure everyone
leaves having really learned the basics.
Many are eager to start designing their
own home forges when they leave,”
Coburn said
You can find Nelms Creekmur Forge
on YouTube, etsy or at local festivals. In
August, look for him at the Piedmont
Park Arts Festival and Grant Park
Summer Shade Festival selling premade
items, meeting new patrons seeking
customized pieces, and finding new
students. QST
30 July 2015 | iNtown
AtlantalNtownPaper.com