Walker, Michael

As the designer of more than 30 knife-locking systems, Michael Walker holds five US and foreign patents and was listed in the Who's Who of American Inventors in 1992. What does it take to be internationally recognized in your field and invited to exhibit in the US, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Asia? Walker says that it is all about the invention - the creative process and the engineering of the idea. 

"Having the idea, getting the idea to actually work and seeing the finished object, that is where it's at for me," he explains. "Everything in between is just work." The work of over 35 years years shows his mastery of design, technical expertise, and the innovative use of different materials. "It is the achievement of balance between form and function," Walker said. His work is the subject interviews, photography and articles appearing in magazines, and the educational books and industry books published worldwide in several languages.

Walker's pieces have received more than 20 awards at home in the US and internationally. He is also involved with design for major manufacturers. This has required he periodically step into the corporate atmosphere (one of the reasons this 41 year resident of Taos would rather be hiking or biking in the mountains).

Where will Walker go from here? "I will always make knives," he said, "although branching out into other forms of art such as my fabricated metal sculptures gives me new prospective and insight. I am a designer, an artist and a craftsman."