• Reinis trained in the traditional school of blacksmithing
• He finds his peace and balance in his forge
• He works on a wide array of projects that require different blacksmithing techniques

Reinis Pētersons spent his childhood experimenting with tools in his house's shed. "As a teenager, I saw a blacksmithing demonstration at a craft fair in the ethnographic museum. I was immediately drawn to the craft, and I knew then and there that I wanted to pursue it," he says. "I visited the museum three years in a row for a chance to forge at the fair." In 2006, Reinis joined Auseklis, an open craft studio, where he learned blacksmithing techniques from a number of masters. He finished his apprenticeship in 2013. Reinis received a master blacksmith diploma from the Latvian Chamber of Crafts in 2017, and spent two years teaching at Auseklis. Today, in his independent studio, he creates a wide range of objects, including jewellery, accessories, TV set props and knives.