About the Artists
In 2005, my family and I took our very first Fall Artist Tour, visiting the studios of local artisans throughout Rappahannock County. One of the artists on the map that year was Nol Putnam of White Oak Forge—a renowned artist-blacksmith, author, and sculptor of three gates at the Washington National Cathedral.
That day, Nol gave a blacksmithing demonstration and invited my then-nine-year-old son, Jacob, to step up and hammer some hot metal. Nol showed Jacob how to forge a small piece, stamp his initials, and cut the metal at the hardy. It was only a few minutes at the forge, but Jacob was hooked.
Fast forward to October 2008—Jacob and I attended a blacksmithing course at the Jacksonville Center for the Arts in Floyd, Virginia. The instructor, Jessie Ward, taught us foundational techniques and how to build and maintain a proper coal fire. I was hooked within the first five minutes.
Inspired by that experience, we started gathering materials to build our own forge. By July 2009, we had our coal forge lit for the first time. At that point, we had the basics, but we were still missing a good anvil. That’s when our neighbor, Erwin Lesh, introduced us to his friend Phil Drevas, who not only had a beautiful anvil, but also a post vice and a few essential tools—and he offered them all at a price we couldn’t pass up. That serendipitous gift became Jacob’s 13th birthday present.
We named our setup Rusty Bell Forge, and over time it grew into a family tradition. My daughter Julia and my wife Kendra joined in, helping to shape and share the work. Over the years, we've experimented with everything from blades to dinner bells, but in recent years we’ve discovered a true passion in hand-forged jewelry and small art pieces.
Today, I focus on forging torcs, rings, pendants, and decorative items using traditional blacksmithing techniques—each one shaped by fire, hammer, and imagination. Julia, meanwhile, brings a contemporary touch to the forge. She creates delicate jewelry from silver and metal wire, shaping and texturing each piece with a hammer and small anvil. Her work blends softness and strength, honoring craftsmanship while exploring a more modern aesthetic.
