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My current body of
sculptural metal art is an amalgamation of my 15 years of jewelry
making skills, various metalsmithing techniques and inspired
compositions of dissected imagery from plant life, feminine symbolism
and the human form. I combine gold, silver and particularly copper
with fine craftsmanship, compositional translations that emerge from
the metal through line, form, repeated elements and texture & color to
create hand-formed metal relief's that capture a fragment of the
whole, including wall hangings and jewelry, furniture and sculptural
objects.
Non-ferrous metals (copper, silver, gold) are very malleable when
heated to the annealed state. This allows me to form the metal using
the following techniques. Through chasing and repoussé (tracing the
design on the front of the piece with liner tools, then working the
back of the piece to push the metal out into form using different
punches, returning to the front to finish the details.), sinking
(hammering on the inside of the object) and raising (hammering on the
outside of the object), the pieces are transformed into the desired
shape or design.
The color of each piece is achieved mainly with heat (using a torch
to heat the piece to multiple temperatures and quenching many times),
chemical compositions (patina solutions, ammonia and/or liver of
sulfur), or colored pencil. By combining these traditional
metalsmithing techniques with modern techniques and my own personal
style, I have allowed my instincts to creatively transpose what I
visualize into my art work.
I create new objects from repeated shapes, contours, and lines
found in nature. Sketching, hammering, chasing, and forming.
Experimenting with the plasticity of the metal and exploring how
recognizable elements can evolve abstractly into a finished piece. The
viewer may then envision the familiar or the unexpected.
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