Lloyd Hughes is a 4th generation metalsmith working in Lexington, KY for more than 30 years. He furthered his skills by studying under noted blacksmith William Valerius in Chicago. In addition to architectural metal commissions, he creates sculpture, furniture and home accessories of original design. His work is available at his own Eclectic Hammer Gallery in Lexington, as well as several Kentucky gift stores.

With the help of a fire burning at 2300 degrees, Lloyd forges steel and bronze into works of art, some functional, some strictly sculptural. When the shaping is done, his steel pieces receive a traditional finish of oil and wax. This allows the inherent beauty of the hammered metal to come through as opposed to hiding under a layer of paint. Forging bronze offers challenges not faced when forging steel. Few bronze alloys lend themselves to the forging process. Additionally, the bronze will melt at 1600 degrees so extreme care is needed to insure that the material remains in a workable temperature range. The pieces are complete after a chemical patina has been applied to give the work some color. The chemicals do instantly what it would take nature years to do.

Lloyd has been very active in promoting the decorative metals industry. He is a past president of the National Ornamental and Miscellaneous Association (NOMMA) and was chosen the first chairman of the NOMMA Education Foundation. He is also a former trustee of the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, TN.