Introducing our blacksmith engineer, Stu Sinclair

Blacksmith engineer Stu Sinclair is the lead artist behind our new art and design showroom Studio Slade.

Stu brings over thirty years of experience in bringing customer’s ideas to life, with a background in forge making, metals, and welding.

“The point of difference as a blacksmith is forming metal using your hands, rather than machinery. That’s where the art side comes into it, because it’s all about the feel and how the metal bends under pressure.”

“You can count on one hand the number of blacksmiths in Canterbury,” he says.

“The skill is becoming so rare.”

Stu trained as a blacksmith engineer in Scotland when he moved to the UK with his parents at 15. After he graduated, he worked and travelled in Australia, before returning to New Zealand in the 90s.

Working in Scotland meant repairing implements, tractors, and farming equipment. When he came to Christchurch, he left his rural experience behind and dedicated his time to steel works.

Stu is now starting a new chapter of art and design with Studio Slade.

“Studio Slade is rebirthing my artistic values and what I can do. Not many people know the breadth of work we can produce.

“Studio Slade will bring our sculpture and design capabilities to the forefront and showcase our care and creativity.”

With experience in gate design, bar furniture, mirrors, and art sculpture, Stu has worked with long-standing clients from Speights to Lone Star to the Christchurch City Council.

From local bar, cafe, and hotel fit outs to luxurious hall tables, these are only some of his works.

With Studio Slade, he says, the biggest limit is imagination.  

One of Stu’s favourite sculptures is a 6ft horse made from 400 horseshoes welded together.

Another honourable mention is the three four-metre roses sent to a hotel in Malaysia and the row of reindeer and the steel Christmas trees that sit outside Riverside Markets in central Christchurch in December.

One of his specialties is handmade native forest scenes developed into six-metre long gates.

“The quality of what we make here is our point of difference. It’s not manufactured; instead, most of the detail is freehand. It’s handmade, rich in detail, and built to last a lifetime.”

“The designs I show to customers are all hand drawn, which means they accurately represent what the product will look like and everything I make is unique.”

“My connection with customers, my determination to listen to their vision, and the opportunity to be even more creative is what I’m excited to bring to Studio Slade.”

When he’s not working, Stu spends time with his family, his sketchbook, and at his local Zumba class.

His dream is to one day buy some land with his wife and start tinkering with his own sculpture garden.

Until then, we can’t wait to see what he’ll achieve with Studio Slade.