Rex and Marsha Morton are the husband-wife duo behind
Mountain Metalsmiths of south-west Missouri, and when we say we are smitten
with them and their work, it would be an understatement. With wit, kindness,
and passion to match the beauty of their copper creations, Rex and Marsha are
the kind of makers whose devotion to their craft permeates everything they
build.
Their two dogs, three cats, and seven chickens by their
side, the couple brings over five combined decades of metalworking experience to
each object. Rex was drawn to art after returning from service in Vietnam when
he enrolled in a metalsmithing course on the GI Bill. This turn would be the
beginning of a lifetime of copper work, and Rex has not looked back since. In
their studio a variety of vintage tools are used to shape, texture, and finish
each creation by hand one at a time.
Some of the earliest wares included copper kitchen utensils,
and since those first days Rex and Marsha have built larger-than-life copper sculptures,
like a 10ft tall copper rooster weathervane, copper light fixtures, a life-size
copper eagle, and a collection of exquisite, decorative copper works to adorn
the walls of customer’s homes around the country. After Rex’s daughter asked
him for a simple salt bowl and spoon for her restaurant not long ago, the pair’s
portfolio came full circle as they again forged goods for the culinary realm.
Today, their handcrafted copper salt cellars represent the culmination of their
wide-ranging artistic and functional abilities and it’s an honor to make them
available here in two beautiful styles.