Jayden Simisky
Since childhood Jayden has been captivated by the way the world around him works. Deconstructing, modifying, experimenting, and constructing objects is in his DNA. Before moving to the metal arts of welding, fabrication, and blacksmithing, Jayden built high-powered lasers from scrap parts. At the age of 10, Jayden and his father took a welding class, and the spark was lit. They immediately purchased a MIG welder for the home garage, and Jayden embarked on a new journey that quickly transitioned from hobby to a source of income. Learning in solitude, as well as from a local ornamental blacksmith named David Norrie, Jayden spent several years taking welding jobs, and we’re glad he did, because the money he earned allowed him to transition to full-time knifemaking.
Now, at 23 years old and having freshly graduated from school with a degree in environmental science and geology from CU Boulder, not far from his childhood home, Jayden has been crafting knives for over 10 years. From complex, house-made damascus patterns, to one-piece, all-steel builds, and multi-faceted design approaches that use innovative techniques which accomplish both aesthetic and functional goals, Jayden’s work has all the hallmarks of a talented and passionate artisan. The chef knife, for Jayden, is a blank canvas. One with limitless artistic opportunities, while guaranteed to deliver function to its owner at the same time. From overall design, to material selection, and the countless approaches to each blade’s creation, the chef’s knife is the “perfect platform to make a function-driven piece of art” as Jayden puts it.
A lover of nature and the outdoors, Jayden’s spirit for adventure has been piqued through the walking of slacklines 3,000 feet in the air, the climbing of ice pillars 13,000 feet above sea level, backcountry skiing, mountain biking, and more. Just as the great outdoors force him out of his comfort zone, where he learns what he is truly capable of, it is the calm and meditative state that these experiences instill, which he finds also in knifemaking.
Philip Citerone
Philip has been working in The Slacksmith shop since 2019 when he was one of the first student's in Jayden's shop.
He shares the Slacksmith passion for making the things we all use in our daily lives meaningful, beautiful, and more functional. From his backround making bows/arrows, tables and cutting boards, knives give the best chance to make a tool we use every day better and bring a little more joy to every kitchen.
If he's not in the shop you'll find him flying paragliders and climbing in the mountains of the Colorado front range.
