BLADESMITH JERRY FISK

A INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ARTIST

* PIECES IN PERMANENT MUSEUM COLLECTIONS OF

- New York State Museum

- Private owned Swiss Museum

- HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM WITH SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

* ADVISOR TO

* CONCEPTUALIZED AND DEVELOPED with Brazilian knifemakers the BLADESMITHING SCHOOL IN SAO PAULO  

  and Braslia BRAZIL

* NAMED PRESIDENT BENEMERITO OF SOCIETY OF BRAZILIAN KNIFEMAKERS

NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ARTIST

* NATIONAL LIVING TREASURE BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA [at Willimngton]

* RECIPIENT OF BLADE MAGAZINE'S PUBLISHERS AWARD

* RECIPIENT OF AMERICAN BLADESMITH SOCIETY'S W.W. SCAGEL LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

* RECIPIENT OF AMERICAN BLADESMITH SOCIETY'S DON HASTINGS AWARD

* ONLY BLADESMITH TO EVER TWICE RECEIVE WILLIAM F. MORAN KNIFE OF THE YEAR AWARD

* MEMBER OF AMERICAN BLADESMITH SOCIETY HALL OF FAME

* 2007  --Finalist  for the Rosen Art show, that recoginzies the outstanding creative achievements of American craft artists.

* Organized and produces annually the Fisk Micro-show. An international show that is the only one man invitational cutlery show  held in the world.

* Has given lectures and organized, participated in and performed for 25 years in and

with demostrations for all types of civic organizations such as Lions club, Rotary, Museums,Gallaries, 

* INTERNATIONAL BLADE AND CUTLERY FAIR  {The Blade Show}

* SPIRIT OF STEEL SHOW

- 2000 BEST BOWIE KNIFE

- 2001 AND 2002 BEST ART KNIFE

- 2002 BEST BOWIE KNIFE

- 2003 BEST FIXED-BLADE KNIFE

-2007 Best Fixed Blade

-2007 Best of Show

-2007 Knives Illustrated Best import knife of the year for the Fiskco production design.

* ARKANSAS CUSTOM KNIFE SHOW

- 1999, 2003 AND 2005 BEST HUNTING KNIFE

- 1998 BEST FIGHTER KNIFE

PUBLICATIONS

* KNIVES BY JERRY FISK HAVE BEEN FEATURED

- ON THE COVERS OF SEVEN PUBLICATIONS

- IN NUMEROUS PUBLICATIONS INCLUDING The ISRAELI KNIFE BOOK "Custom Fixed Blade Knives" as well mentions in the- Master of the Forge book, the Book-Battle Blades, magazines such as KNIFE WORLD, FIGHTING KNIVES, BLADE MAGAZINE, KNIVES ILLUSTRATED, Japan's knife magazine as well as France's Magazine La Passion De Couteaux, Magnum magazine from South America, Target magazine of Europe, Tiawan's Country and Knife magazine, Sports and Field, Guns and Ammo magazine, American Hand Gunner, Survival magazine, KNIVES Annuals 1992-2006, THE NEW YORK TIMES, DALLAS MORNING NEWS The Phoneix Sun as well as the Arkansas Gazette newspaper. 
"Driven" magazine[very nice car magazine]
 Garden and Gun magazine. 

*CURRENTLY A CONTRIBUTING EDITOR FOR BLADE MAGAZINE

* AUTHOR OF "Basic Forging and Pattern-Welded Damascus Steel" USED AS A TEXTBOOK AT THE SCHOOL OF BLADESMITHING

* AUTHOR OF BOOK ON KNIFEMAKING AS A CAREER entitled "Handbook of Management and Organization".

BACKGROUND IN BLADESMITHING

* ELECTED VICE PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN BLADESMITH SOCIETY IN 1999 and served till 2008

* Served on THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE AMERICAN BLADESMITH SOCIETY from 1994 to 2008

* HAS TAUGHT AT THE BILL MORAN TEXARKANA SCHOOL OF BLADESMITHING IN ARKANSAS SINCE     ITS INCEPTION IN 1998

*    Served as Liason between  Texarkana College's   School of Bladesmithing and the American Bladesmith Societ for              a number of years.

* BECAME 17TH MASTER BLADESMITH OF THE AMERICAN BLADESMITH SOCIETY IN 1989

* EARNED JOURNEYMAN SMITH RATING IN 1987

Why my interest in forging. 

LET ME GIVE YOU A BIT OF PERSONAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT MYSELF.

I WAS ONE OF FIVE BOYS IN THE FAMILY. WE GREW UP WITHOUT MUCH. DAD BOUGHT AN OLD, ABANDONED HOUSE FOR $250 IF I REMEMBER RIGHT.  WHEN IT RAINED, THE ROOF LEAKED. EACH OF US BOYS HAD TO WATCH HIS OWN SPOT FOR LEAKS AND NOT LET THE PANS OR BUCKETS OVERFLOW ON THE FLOOR. IF THE FLOOR GOT WET, MOM TANNED OUR HIDES. WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR A BATH, I TOTED BUCKETS OF WATER INTO THE KITCHEN FOR THE TUB. Until I was 10 years old I thought my name was "Boy, go get water".I WAS ABOUT 15 WHEN WE FINALLY GOT RUNNING WATER IN THE HOUSE AND AN INDOOR BATHROOM. BY THEN IT ALMOST SEEMED WRONG TO GO TO THE BATHROOM INSIDE THE PLACE YOU LIVED.

I GOT TO WATCH AN OLD BLACKSMITH MAKE DAD'S CATTLE BRAND WHEN I WAS 10. AFTER IT WAS MADE, HE HEATED IT UP AND BRANDED THE WALL OF HIS SHOP ALONG WITH ALL THE AREA'S OTHER BRANDS. THEN HE DISCOVERED HE PUT THE "F" IN BACKWARDS, SO I WATCHED HIM TAKE IT APART AND DO IT RIGHT. HE SURE MADE THE SPARKS FLY WHEN IT WAS RED HOT. I WANTED TO TRY THAT, BUT HE WOULDN'T LET ME. COURSE BACK THEN I WANTED TO TRY LOTS OF THINGS I HAD NO BUSINESS DOING. (I'M NOT MUCH DIFFERENT NOW.)

ANOTHER OLD BLACKSMITH MOVED INTO OUR AREA WHEN I WAS 11. HE CAME TO TOWN WITHOUT MUCH MONEY SO DAD, A PREACHER, HELPED HIM SET UP HIS SHOP. AFTER CHURCH MOM AND DAD WOULD LET ME STOP BY TO LOOK AT HIS KNIVES WHEN HE SET UP ON SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH A FOLD UP TABLE TO DISPLAY HIS KNIVES. THOSE WERE THE FIRST FORGED BLADES I EVER SAW. WHEN I WAS IN SIXTH GRADE, MY CLASS TOOK A FIELD TRIP TO THE OLD WASHINGTON BLACKSMITH SHOP WHERE JAMES BLACK FORGED A KNIFE FOR JIM BOWIE. THIS WAS PRETTY CLOSE TO THE SAME TIME FRAME. NOW I HAD TO TRY IT FOR SURE.

BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT I WAS RAISED A KNIFE TO ME IS FIRST A TOOL SECOND IT IS PRETTY TO LOOK AT IF DONE RIGHT. THIS IS JUST THE WAY I WAS RAISED. WORK HARD AND USE A GOOD TOOL.

WHY I MAKE KNIVES

I MAKE KNIVES AND EDGED TOOLS BECAUSE OF A LIFE-LONG INTEREST AND DESIRE. THE ONLY LIMITS TO THIS FIELD ARE THOSE I PUT ON MYSELF. LOTS OF TIMES I BLEND CENTURIES-OLD TECHNIQUES WITH MODERN METHODS. I PREFER DESIGNS DRAWN FROM SOMETHING THAT SIMULATES NATURE AND PREFER TO WORK IN NATURAL MATERIALS.

FORGING KNIVES FOR A LIVING HAS BEEN A HOT AND DIRTY JOB THROUGHOUT HISTORY. IT IS NO DIFFERENT NOW. THE GLAMOUR FADES QUICKLY AS YOU BURN THE SHIRTS OFF YOUR BODY.

WHEN I WAS ASKED ONCE, WHY I MAKE KNIVES, I SAID "TO SHOW THAT I LIVED. MY WORK WILL LAST HUNDREDS OF YEARS LONGER THAN I WILL. BUT NOW THEY WILL KNOW I WAS HERE."