What do an old-world watchmaker and a country blacksmith have in common?
Our "April Tools" theme continues with two richly illustrated photo essays.
Dear Friends,
Tools are perhaps the most visible symbol of the dedication, passion, and relentless pursuit of excellence required to master a craft—whether they are held with delicate precision in a watchmaker's hands, or wielded by a blacksmith at the forge.
Throughout this month, we’ve been exploring the symbiotic relationship between artisans and their tools. Today we’re highlighting two photo essays from our archives that feature two masters of these very different crafts at work. If you enjoy thoughtfully reported photo essays like these, you’ll find many more in the Galleries section of our magazine—all free of charge, and free of ads.
Thank you for reading and sharing our stories, for supporting our work with a paid subscription if you can, and for being part of the Craftsmanship community. We couldn’t do this without you.
Sincerely,
The Craftsmanship Team
View: “The Master Watchmaker,” written by
and photographed by Peter Belanger.
View: “The Blacksmithing Artist,” written by
and photographed by Raymond Boc.Coming up next…
This Friday, we’re excited to bring you a new story in a new-to-us format. To wrap up the April theme, we’ll be releasing an audio interview and slideshow featuring Irish uilleann pipe-maker and musician John Butler (Ceol Pipes). Please stay tuned!
If you’ve been with us for a while, you may remember Butler from our very popular feature story, “Do the Most Interesting Musical Pipes come from Ireland?”, written by Larry Gallagher and photographed by Ruth Carden. If you’re new to our pages, or would like to revisit the story, it’s available in our free archives.
ICYMI…
Read: ”Western-Wear Designer ‘Jukebox Mama’ Paints with Thread”
Sarie Gessner is known for her Western-inspired suits, custom embroidery, and passion for music—and she’s dressing some of country and Americana’s brightest stars for the stage. Written and photographed by Meredith Lawrence.
If you haven’t already done so, you can upgrade your subscription for just $6/month, or $60/year, and get access to The Secrets of Mastery—including previous episodes—along with other premium content we have in the works. Thank you for supporting independent journalism!
Listen to the latest episode: "How Do Tools and Technology Affect Creativity?" with Gary Rogowski
Craftsmanship Magazine is a not-for-profit, multimedia publication that focuses on master artisans and innovators whose work informs our quest: to create a world built to last. On our website, you’ll find a rich archive of in-depth reported features, audio stories, photo essays, Field Notes, and documentary shorts—along with community resources like our Artisans’ Directory, our guide to U.S.-based craft & folk schools, and much more—all free of charge, and free of ads.