Central Kentucky architectural blacksmiths Maynard Studios bring unique metal-forged details to Kentucky homes and businesses
Maynard Studios, the blacksmithing shop owned and operated by artists Matthew and Karine Maynard, has been a fixture in Anderson County for more than 20 years. But unlike many Bluegrass-area blacksmiths, horseshoes are one item the Maynards do not make. Instead, their practice focuses mainly on architectural blacksmithing, designing and fabricating large works such as fences and gates, railings, window grilles and chandeliers. Additionally, the couple creates smaller pieces like knobs and hinges, furniture and sculptures that elevate the beauty of both indoor and outdoor spaces.
Matthew, who grew up in Pike County, and Karine, who originally hails from Wisconsin, were introduced by a mutual friend while attending Nevada’s well-known arts and culture festival, Burning Man.
“Our first date was in the desert,” Karine said.
When they met, Matthew had already been practicing blacksmithing, which he taught himself as a child, armed with some coal and a book from the Foxfire series, comprised of anthologies designed to preserve and foster Appalachian culture with books on topics ranging from foraging and mountain remedies to music and blacksmithing.
“I made a little makeshift forge, and I would just get things hot and see what happened,” he explained. “I’d get the book and look at a picture and reverse engineer what they were doing.” he explained.
Karine, on the other hand, gained her knowledge working with small metals by making jewelry.
“When I met Matt, that’s when I started to work with large metals. I knew how to do everything – just smaller,” said Karine.
“He bought me my first set of hammers and my first anvil, and
I was like ‘I really like this guy.’ He bought me my own welder, and that was like an engagement ring. I thought, ‘I am going to marry this guy.’”
The Maynards work mainly with ordinary steel, bronze and some stainless steel, and can add specialty finishes like gold or silver leaf. Of their artistic style, Matthew said, “We do a diverse array of design work. It can go from French Classical to Mid-Century Modern to something really contemporary.”
Comfort in creating a variety of architectural styles was a conscious choice for the Maynards, allowing them to build one-of-a-kind pieces tailored to each client.
“We are looking at our client’s aesthetic and reflecting it back to them,” said Matthew. “It’s our client’s story, but it’s our handwriting. You can see that it’s our work, but we’re not stuck to one aesthetic. We like to have the ability to do something new every time.”
“We never repeat our designs twice,” Karine added, “and we never copy anyone’s work, either.”
Matthew admits he initially thought starting from scratch with every design might be an obstacle, that they might run out of ideas. But it’s been less of a challenge than the couple expected. “Everyone is so unique, and once you get to know people a little bit and see their space, it’s pretty easy to come up with things that are tailored to them,” he added.
While blacksmithing is a small profession, Maynard Studios stands out from the crowd for not only what they do but also what they don’t do – including buying individual pieces and welding them together, which is common among fabricators. Instead, the Maynards design and create each element by hand, making large pieces and adding their hand-forged components rather than buying any individual pieces for their design.
It’s one of the things that sets them apart, said Karine.
The time and care has paid off for the Maynards, with their work garnering international recognition and multiple awards from the National Ornamental and Miscellaneous Metals Association, as well as earning Matthew an Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council. Their work can be found in homes and buildings in the United States as well as Europe.
A true family business, Karine said she and Matthew are onsite for every installation. “We don’t have an outside crew that we hire.”
Matthew explained, “I don’t trust other people to care as much as we do – we’ve seen this thing from start to finish, and we want to make sure that last bolt is lined right up perfect.”
In addition to larger works like railings and gates, Maynard Studios creates smaller accent pieces that elevate the beauty of both inside and outside spaces. Images furnished
The Maynards’ work is currently featured in Intertwined, a joint exhibit at Lexington’s Headley-Whitney Museum on display through June 19. In addition to photographs and pieces both large and small from Maynard Studios, the three-part show also includes a 30-year retrospective of local artist Ellen Skidmore’s colorful and playful paintings and a collection of 19th and 20th century equine art on loan from private collections. The Maynards’ contributions include furniture, candelabras and other functional pieces, and purely decorative free-standing and hanging sculptures.
“It’s a really well-put together show,” Karine said. “Our work pairs really well with Ellen Skidmore’s. It’s a real honor to be included with the list of fabulous artists who have shown there and be recognized by our own community.”
She added that the museum show allows a unique opportunity for people to also see the smaller pieces and sculptural work they’ve done. “A lot of our work is unseen otherwise,” she said. “It’s owned by private residences, private estates and private event spaces.”
One piece called the Giving Tree, on display outside at the show, was sponsored by Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown of Hermitage Farm and 21c Museum Hotels, will head to Frankfort’s Josephine Sculpture Park after the show and will serve as that organization’s “donor tree.” Another fun Maynard Studios creation on display is a grouping of Bourbon Ferns – whimsical plant-like sculptures made from reclaimed bourbon barrel rings, which are a favorite of award-winning garden designer Jon Carloftis.
“I came up with the idea as a way to teach techniques in welding – everyone’s making things out of bourbon barrel staves, including us, but what is anyone doing with these mountains of rings that are going off to recycling?” Karine said. “Creating [the sculptures from the barrel rings] was so much fun we just kept making them.”
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Maynard Studios designed and installed these gates at the Lexington event space The Apiary. Photo furnished
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Maynard Studios designed and installed these gates at the Lexington event space The Apiary. Photo furnished
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The Maynards’ work has garnered international recognition and awards from the National Ornamental and Miscellaneous Metals Association, as well as earning Matthew an Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council. Photo furnished
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The Maynards’ work has garnered international recognition and awards from the National Ornamental and Miscellaneous Metals Association, as well as earning Matthew an Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council. Photo furnished
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The Maynards’ work has garnered international recognition and awards from the National Ornamental and Miscellaneous Metals Association, as well as earning Matthew an Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council. Photo furnished
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The Maynards’ work has garnered international recognition and awards from the National Ornamental and Miscellaneous Metals Association, as well as earning Matthew an Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council. Photo furnished
Though most of their work is in private spaces, it is possible to see work by Maynard Studios publicly by visiting many of the area bourbon distilleries, including Woodford Reserve, Maker’s Mark, Castle & Key, Buffalo Trace, Four Roses and others. Their creations can also be found at Ashbourne Farms and Hermitage Farms in Oldham County and at the downtown Lexington event space the Apiary.
Soon, viewers can learn more about Maynard Studios on an upcoming episode of the Kentucky Educational Television show “Kentucky Life,” scheduled to premiere on KET on May 21. After a two-year hiatus, the Maynards are also planning to host an annual open studio on Nov. 5, where guests can visit the nearly 6,000-square-foot blacksmithing shop and see the Maynards and their team of studio assistants in action.
When reflecting on their approach,Matthew likes to point to an anecdote he feels captures the approach he and Karine take to their craft.
“I saw Rob Samuels from Maker’s Mark speaking once, and someone in the crowd asked him why they didn’t automate the dipping process for the bottles, and he said that speed wasn’t the point. The point was to have hands on the product. He used the words ‘intentional inefficiencies,’ and I was like, ‘whoa, that’s exactly what we’re doing,’” Matthew said. “The point is to slow down, make this, create it with your hands and put a little bit of your soul into it. Then you’ve created something thoughtfully for someone else, to bring them joy.
“I think that’s the coolest thing we get to do,” he added. “We get to impact places and people positively.”
If You Go: Intertwined, a three-piece exhibit featuring a glimpse of the work of architectural blacksmiths Matthew and Karine Maynard of Maynard Studios, as well as a retrospective by artist Ellen Skidmore and a presentation of rarely seen English and American equine art from private collections, will be on display at the Headley-Whitney Museum (4425 Old Frankfort Pike) through June 19. Gallery hours are Fri.-Sun., 10 a.m.-lo4 p.m. More info at www.headley-whitney.org.