Mareko Maumasi
Mareko Maumasi (Mar-echo Mau-mah-see) is a Bladesmith and the founder of Maumasi Fire Arts. He grew up next to the waters of the Puget Sound and have always loved the lush greenery that defines Western Washington. One constant theme of his life has been creating art and working with his hands. When he was very young, he thrived most when drawing, creating and building things, and as he got older he expanded into the realm of food. In his early twenties, while he was working one of his many restaurant gigs, he met a man who would transform his life forever, Bob Kramer.
Mareko's working-apprenticeship with Bob was a life-changing experience. In the beginning Mareko knew nothing of the man or his reputation, but as time passed and the challenges of the work grew, so did the depth of Mareko's knowledge and understanding. He worked side-by-side with Bob learning the art and trade of Bladesmithing. It was a ground-up education, starting with simply sweeping the floors and drawing casting resin through brass tubing to produce the mosaic pins found in each of Bob's knives. By the end of 3 years Mareko had learned how to execute all the basic skills of blade grinding, handle construction and sculpting, and the art of forging pattern-welded damascus at an incredibly high level. Bob gave Mareko an amazingly strong foundation to have as a jumping-off point for his career.
In February of 2012, Mareko made a rash move to Denver, CO. He had ideas about getting back into the food side of things, and thought Denver was the spot for it. However it wasn't very long before Mareko felt he needed to go back to knife making - for the first time in his entire life he had found fulfilling work that gave him a greater sense of purpose and he missed it tremendously. Denver was the wrong direction, so he moved back to gorgeous, green Washington to start Maumasi Fire Arts.
In 2013 Mareko seized a wonderful opportunity offered by Journeyman David Lisch, to build knives out of Dave's blacksmithing school, Studio 4 Forging Facility (when it wasn't being used, of course). Working in the shop next to Dave allowed the two to share knowledge and camaraderie, while Mareko continued to follow his passion of bladesmithing.
Today Mareko, his wife Sarah and their son call Middletown, CT home now that Mareko has joined the talented smiths of Dragon's Breath Forge in Wolcott, CT. There he continues to improve and learn in the art and craft of bladesmithing.
Mareko's working-apprenticeship with Bob was a life-changing experience. In the beginning Mareko knew nothing of the man or his reputation, but as time passed and the challenges of the work grew, so did the depth of Mareko's knowledge and understanding. He worked side-by-side with Bob learning the art and trade of Bladesmithing. It was a ground-up education, starting with simply sweeping the floors and drawing casting resin through brass tubing to produce the mosaic pins found in each of Bob's knives. By the end of 3 years Mareko had learned how to execute all the basic skills of blade grinding, handle construction and sculpting, and the art of forging pattern-welded damascus at an incredibly high level. Bob gave Mareko an amazingly strong foundation to have as a jumping-off point for his career.
In February of 2012, Mareko made a rash move to Denver, CO. He had ideas about getting back into the food side of things, and thought Denver was the spot for it. However it wasn't very long before Mareko felt he needed to go back to knife making - for the first time in his entire life he had found fulfilling work that gave him a greater sense of purpose and he missed it tremendously. Denver was the wrong direction, so he moved back to gorgeous, green Washington to start Maumasi Fire Arts.
In 2013 Mareko seized a wonderful opportunity offered by Journeyman David Lisch, to build knives out of Dave's blacksmithing school, Studio 4 Forging Facility (when it wasn't being used, of course). Working in the shop next to Dave allowed the two to share knowledge and camaraderie, while Mareko continued to follow his passion of bladesmithing.
Today Mareko, his wife Sarah and their son call Middletown, CT home now that Mareko has joined the talented smiths of Dragon's Breath Forge in Wolcott, CT. There he continues to improve and learn in the art and craft of bladesmithing.
