As the scope of Anvil Works’ business increased, Lee Badger began to seek a Mid-Atlantic location where he could create a workshop of his own design. In 1998, he built the Anvil Works metal studio in Hedgesville, WV. The shop was expanded in 2005 and additional specialized equipment was acquired in 2008 and 2014 with financial assistance from the WV Division of Culture & History and the National Endowment for the Arts.

This location, where the Cumberland and Shenandoah Valleys meet in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, provides easy access to industrial resources, transportation routes, and clients in the eastern coastal cities and northern Appalachian region.

Except for a few items occasionally produced for consignment and retail sale, the mainstay of Anvil Works’ studio business is a regular flow of privately commissioned work. Carefully understood and completed commissions are the main sources of referral. Our craftsmen share delight and satisfaction in the commissioning process with design professionals, collectors, and homeowners alike.

Biography

I am the primary owner and director of Anvil Works LLC, in business since 1981. My lifelong career as a self-employed artist-blacksmith began during the 1970’s in Denver and the Colorado Rockies.  In the late 1980’s it brought me to the Mid-Atlantic and National Capital region. I taught and worked as an artist-in-residence at Glen Echo National Park in suburban Washington, DC from 1989 to 1993.

I am a member of the Artist-Blacksmith Association of North America and several regional and local craft guilds. I specialize in ornamental metal design and the creation of hand crafted metal work for home and garden. As a furniture maker and a blacksmith sculptor, my work earns honors and awards in museum, gallery, and public art exhibitions.

Other Creative Skills

Metalworking