Maria Cristalli

Maria Cristalli is an artist blacksmith working from a studio in the woods outside Cle Elum, Washington, after many years in Seattle. She holds a BFA in photography from the University of Washington — and, in her own description, fell into forging hot metal after earning that degree. She has been blacksmithing for more than thirty years now, with her developing years spent apprenticing under two master smiths and running her own studio in parallel.

Cristalli designs and forges architectural ironwork, home furnishings, ironwork for the garden, sculpture, and public art — applying traditional hand-forging technique in a modern aesthetic. "Working at the forge inspires me," she has said. "I love the material, the process and the experimentation that can be done with fire, hammer and anvil." Her work is held in the Washington State Arts Commission collection and across private residences and gardens throughout the Pacific Northwest.