Metallic texture metalwork
I still find it hard to believe I have been designing & making my metalwork & jewellery for over 30 years! I have always had an interest in surface pattern & texture. I enjoy exploring this particularly within my metalwork. Creating in copper & brass allows a huge variety of colour variations with the application of heat, fluxes & distressing surfaces with etching, hammering & embossing.
Last month I had the news that I had not been looking forward to...my etcher was retiring. Even though this was not a complete shock it is still sad as I have been using the same company since I started my business in 1991. I may well be able to find another company who can continue to produce my etched metal components but this my take some future research.
This news prompted me to start to develop some new work. Ideas which had been 'bubbling' for a while. Taking some of the Barbara Hepworth/Troika pottery imagery & designing larger one-off metalwork pieces. This also links in with the latest jewellery collection I've been working on too.
Starting with paper models I began by cutting out some of these stylised shapes. Then heating & manipulating the copper & brass, embossing wires into the surface for linear effects & hammering surface indentations. Further interest & individual results are created by applying different fluxes then heating the metal again. Each section is a completely unique piece.
Once I had a little 'collection' I started to arrange them into groups. I wanted to have the pieces at different heights to has further interest. After some experimentation I decided to mount the metal onto wooden blocks of various sizes. These are then applied to the white open tray mount frame. The finished 'Metallic texture' pieces have a slightly 'retro' feel to them which evokes some of the 1960s/70s inspiration.
I have begun to explore a slighter larger scale too. These individual pieces can be enlarged even further to create an even more dramatic interpretation.
Currently this work is only available from our St Ives gallery as I am slightly concerned about the practicality of posting them. However please feel free to contact us if you are interested in purchasing.
Prices from £260 - £895
The next development I am hoping to explore is some free standing sculptural 3D pieces of this nature. I am looking forward to seeing where this leads me.