Sam Laturi, a Mequon area blacksmith, will be visiting the area next week for Midwest Fire Fest, one of the largest area festivals.

Sam Laturi, a Mequon area blacksmith, will be visiting the area next week for Midwest Fire Fest, one of the largest area festivals.

Saint Francis of Assisi is not the patron saint of blacksmiths. That title goes to Saint Dunstan. But, rest assured, Saint Francis would have appreciated the tools, the hammer and chisel; the tongs and anvils. He would have particularly liked them in the hands of Sam Laturi.

“I look to Saint Francis who said, ‘He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He would works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.’ There’s a lot of heart that goes into what I do,” Laturi said.

The 47-year-old lives in Mequon, Wisconsin and is a professional blacksmith. Laturi will be appearing soon at Cambridge’s annual Midwest Fire Fest on July 23 and 24 at the Westside Park in town.

What Laturi does, and has done for decades, is create works of metal for homes, like door handles, fire pit pokers, bench cleavers and bird baths. He also creates art like roses made of metal and dice. Further, he makes fashion pieces like pendants and kilt pins. He also offers classes and demonstrations, like he’ll soon do in downtown Cambridge.

“There is so much more to blacksmithing than making blades,” he says, eager to show and teach people how much more there is to his profession. “Many are inspired to start smithing because of blade work, but then get stuck wondering what to make when their imagination is their own limitation.”

Laturi’s limitless imagination sprung forth as a kid. Even as a youngster, the spirits have spoken to him through fire and metal. “Blacksmithing has always been a spiritual journey for me,” he says. The idea of taking the classic four elements of Earth, air, fire, and water, and using them to change what most would consider a permanent object through his work and his will into another permanent object of form and function moves him still. “It fills me with a sense of wonder.” Whether it’s when he’s got a hammer in his hand or staring down at a radiating hot piece of metal. “I’ve had a lot of different jobs in my life and none filled me with as much pride and wonder as this has.”

He studied blacksmithing at Northern Michigan University and then went to earn a degree in business management with a focus on entrepreneurial consulting. He moved to Milwaukee. He continued to blacksmith when he could. He began selling his wares to family and friends. He started selling online. Sales increased and then increased again. In 2011 he made his blacksmith business official with StormCloak Forge.

Recently, he restored and renovated a building in Mequon. It was built in 1844 by Ephraim Wordworth. The place is now StormCloak’s home. Laturi makes art there and functional pieces, as well. And to further his profession, he’s always eager to teach blacksmithing and demonstrate his skills for others, like he’ll be doing at Fire Fest.

“It’s the best show I have ever done, year in and year out,” he says. “The people running it are the best out there.” He appreciates the staff, the volunteers, the other artists, and the attendees. “They have a real appreciation for what we do and they love to see a glimpse of how it’s done,” he says.

They’d all get along with Saint Francis of Assisi then, seeing the forge, the men and women toiling over fire and metal, all creating something new and lasting.

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