Quick Facts
Biography
Francis Whitaker (November 29, 1906 – October 23, 1999) was a blacksmith in Carmel, California, where he established The Forge in the Forest and in Aspen, CO, The Mountain Forge, which he later relocated when he was named an artist-in-residence at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale, CO.
He was born in Woburn, Massachusetts and died in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
His training as a smith included a one year apprenticeship under Philadelphia based blacksmith Samuel Yellin followed by a two year apprenticeship under Julius Schramm in Berlin, Germany in the mid 1920s. Upon his return to the states, he began working as a smith in a career that spanned eight decades. During World War ll, Whitaker was hired by the US Navy to teach welding at the Naval Base San Diego, USA.
In addition to maintaining his shop, he wrote or co-wrote four books on blacksmithing.
In 1995, he received the Colorado Council on the Arts Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. In 1997, he received the National Heritage Fellowship in the Traditional Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Books
- (1986) The Blacksmith's Cookbook: Recipes in Iron. Jim Fleming Publications. ISBN 0-939415-00-3
- (1995) My Life as an Artist-Blacksmith. F. Whitaker. ISBN 0-9646389-0-8
- (1997) Beautiful Iron: The Pursuit of Excellence by Francis Whitaker
- (2004) A Blacksmith's Craft: The Legacy of Francis Whitaker. Volume 1, by George F Dixon.