Studio 7: 66 Rock Street
Blacksmithing
www.peterhappny.com
603.436.4859
Peter’s work captures movement and balance through forging hot metal. He works in many genres from functional to sculptural and historical (colonial balonial) to avant-garde. HIs challenge is to give life to material not attuned to graceful, pleasing three dimensional shapes. The only limit is his imagination.
Fifty years of earning a living as a blacksmith continue to challenge Happny to improve his skills, taking risks for the art of it while still managing to pay the bills. His work takes on many forms from small to large—taking a single line and developing a three dimensional shape that appears pleasing in all dimensions or applying a light relief to a flat sheet, giving it a personality that shines. Balance and cantilever also draws the viewer in.
Happny has taught and demonstrated across the US and in Europe focusing on contemporary things one can do through forging steel. His work appears in many ornamental ironwork books. He draws inspiration from nature and architecture. He possesses a vivid imagination and is known for his ability to work in many different styles, always experimenting and finding a way to make it his own.
A visit to his forge by the railroad tracks in Portsmouth, NH is an experience. You may just find a practical solution to that railing you want made or an heirloom that needs fixing. One thing is certain, you will come away with a joke that will either make you laugh or groan.
Peter is a founding member of The Portsmouth Holiday Arts Tour, making 2021 his 21st year demoing and showcasing his work.