Clyde’s Corner: Meet Chris St. Charles, a man of many talents
by Clyde Whitaker
Like many of you, I generally start my day with coffee. Around 8 a.m. I like to drive up to McDonald’s or the Plane Food Market uptown to get a second cup of joe, after the one I have when I get up in the morning.
It was at the Plane Food Market where I first met Chris. As we talked more and more, I soon discovered that Chris was an artist, an artist working with metal.
One day I told Chris that I would like to write a story about his unique craftsmanship. That day is today. Meeting up with Chris at the Plane Food Market, we sat drinking coffee and talking about his experiences working with metal.
Chris was born in Whitmore Lake and moved here to Stockbridge in 2001. In 2014, Chris started forging items in his garage using only the basic tools he had there.
In 2015, Chris started forging items at the Waterloo Farm Museum. While there, Chris was given information to join the Michigan Blacksmith Association, which he did. He started attending “Open Forge” in Parma every Tuesday to learn the craft of blacksmithing.
Chris is not a guy you can easily pigeonhole.
For example, I asked Chris, “What has been the most popular requested item for you to make?”
He answered, “hairpins,” followed by knives, campfire utensils, random items, or whatever. He is very talented.
Then I asked him, “OK, what’s your favorite object to forge?”
He said, “Whatever’s next.”
Chris will be working on his craft at the Waterloo Farm during Jackson County’s Free Museum Day on May 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. He also will be attending the Blacksmiths and Soldiers Log Cabin Days, June 20-21, at the same museum. Come out and see this artist in action, making some unique metal items.
Chris loves what he does and he doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. If you see him, stop and say “Hi” and tell him you read about him here!
Clyde Whitaker is a 1973 Stockbridge graduate. He and his wife, Mary, raised four children in Stockbridge, and they still reside in the Stockbridge area.
All photos by Clyde Whitaker. Photo captions, in order sent:
