A Copper Alliance Member
Copper in the Arts
Issue #55: November '11 - Cont'd
Nicholas Yust: Fine Metal Art from Both Sides of the Brain
Freestanding copper wall art by Nicholas Yust.
Photograph courtesy of Nicholas Yust
Initially, Yust studied fine art at the University of Cincinnati, working in abstract oil pastels. The right side of Yust’s brain was bored though, so he switched to major in engineering. At Wright State University in Dayton, he studied Materials Engineering with a focus in metallurgy, and worked towards a master’s while co-oping with the Air Force. This work was all science, no art - but it was here he began working with copper, studying the applications of different alloys for high energy defense mechanisms.
Yust started making art from aluminum in 2003, on the job, when he took a metal fixture and tried to make it look photogenic for a paper on his project with the Air Force and for his master’s thesis. He enjoyed the process so much, he started experimenting with metal on the side. Two years later, he switched to copper.
“You can’t achieve things with aluminum that you can with copper,” says. “Copper is more difficult to grind on because it’s so soft; it likes to smear.”
Grinding is a signature part of Yust’s artwork. In his wall art, he uses an air-powered hand-held grinder with different sanding/grinding pads and hand motions to create energy-inspired designs, like spirals, waves, squares, and trees.
Nicholas Yust surrounded by his work.
Photograph courtesy of Nicholas Yust
When coloring copper, Yust chooses heat over chemicals, using propane, butane or an oxy-acetylene torch to create a spectrum of color.
“There’s more dimension to the color one can get out of copper,” explains Yust.
Recently, Yust’s art extended to the corporate world. He has splashed his trademark designs on signs, corporate logos, outlet covers and even clocks. Homeowners have commissioned him to create custom valances for windows and back splashes for kitchens, showers and waterfalls. He’s covered entire front doors with his art.
For the past five years, Yust has shown his copper and aluminum art all over the US, sold his work in 38 countries, and built his own studio and gallery in his hometown of Cincinnati.
Yust’s work will be featured at Miami’s Art Basel from November 30 to December 4, with upcoming shows in Baltimore and New York next year.
Resources:
Nicholas Yust Gallery, 3602 Eastern Ave., Cincinnati, OH, (513) 284-6737
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Hearing the Call of Nature
Copper frog garden stake.
Photograph courtesy of Ed Sharp
“Lately, tree frogs have taken over my life,” Sharp says of his popular patina copper creations. “People go nuts over them.”
Frogs, geckos, dragonflies, snails and species of fish metal-morph into whimsical mobiles, outdoor fountains, garden art and accessories, even coffee tables and countertops, thanks to the nimble hands of Sharp.
It’s a process, he says, that involves heating, hammering and hand-cutting the copper. Then comes his flourish of patina formulas, finishes and a clear-coat – combinations with ingredients like sulfur and ammonia. The result is both a garden showpiece and one that blends into its natural surroundings like one of Sharp’s geckos.
“I feel like folks are really drawn to my pieces because in this day and age, there’s too much plastic and temporary products out there,” says Sharp. “This is really resilient heirloom quality – something precious that can be passed down.”
Precious, but not fragile-precious. Durability is a quality of copper Sharp is quite attracted to. “There’s nothing you can’t do with it,” he says.
Made even durable by the rocks and driftwood he says he’s been plucking out of the waters of the Chesapeake while kayaking in Alexandria, Va., where he’s currently caring for his elderly parents. For the bases of his water fountains and coffee tables, Sharp will drill a hole into these nature finds, thread No. 2 copper wire through them, which makes for a solid fusion.
Ed Sharp at work.
Photograph courtesy of Ed Sharp
It was a moment in 1996, he says, at the age 44 while living in Stock Island, Fla. (just north of Key West), and sitting in his La-Z-Boy that guided him toward a career in art. “I had bought a fountain and looked at it closer and thought, ‘I can do that!’”
Sharp went on to enroll in a welding course at Stock Island Community College. “There were so many people at that time working with copper, and it was a win-win, because they had access to the equipment and materials,” he says. “Once I learned how to do the work and techniques, I started in copper.”
Today Sharp sells his work out of his DRC Studio locations in Sarasota, Fla., and Alexandria, Va. Over the winter, he plans on hibernating to build up on his inventory so he can also sell his copper work in festivals and shows next year, like one at the Dulles Expo & Conference Center in Chantilly, Va., in March.
Resources:
Ed Sharp, DRC Studio, Key West, FL, (941) 685-6646
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Copper in the Arts: HISTORY
The Standard Grill: Simple Copper Pennies Create An Extraordinary Floor
Copper penny floor at The Standard Hotel.
Photograph courtesy of The Standard Hotel
When designers Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of New York-based design firm Roman and Williams created the floor at The Standard Grill, they envisioned a floor composed entirely of glowing copper pennies - 480,000 of them to be exact.
The design echoes old New York and captures the essence of The Standard Hotel renovation by utilizing traditional copper material in the traditional American restaurant. Because the design company prides itself in the use of materiality and practicality rather than conceptualization, they enjoy using the familiar in new ways. They wanted to turn a simple everyday element into something extraordinary.
"The pennies were obtained from a currency vendor so we had no control over the dates of the coins,” says Joey Jolleo, The Standard Hotel's media representative. “We actually had to pay 13 cents for each of the 480,000 pennies, one cent for the cost and 12 cents for taking each coin out of circulation. The pennies were purchased in square-foot tiles already cut and evenly spaced so they did not require one by one placement. It was also convenient to trim the squares where they met the walls. A clear adhesive film was applied to the backs of the tiles and they were placed face down onto wet epoxy grout covering a sub-floor of lightweight concrete. When the grout dried, the clear adhesive film was removed. A shellac was later applied on top to keep them in place. Construction of the floor took about a week to complete. Kids try to pull the pennies up and so far have not been successful. Wear and tear has caused some patina during the aging process, though."
The pennies cover 1,650 square feet and can be cleaned with ordinary cleansers.
The restaurant's open kitchen plan features award-winnng chef, Dan Silverman, cooking under an elegant copper hood canopy. Subtly partitioned red leather booths and a barrel-vaulted ceiling lend a spacious effect to the dining room. The Western drink menu also pays homage to the traditional copper design with its PENNY DROP cocktail, a mix of vodka, house made ginger cordial, lime juice, ginger beer and fresh ginger served in a copper mug. Stars or people from the theater and fashion industries frequently gather there.
The Standard Hotel, where The Standard Grill is located, bridges over the High Line section of the former elevated freight railroad's West Side Line in the meatpacking district. It was redesigned and opened its public park in June of 2009.
Resources:
The Standard Grill, 848 Washington Street, New York, NY 10014, (212) 645-4646
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Copper in the Arts: NEWS
Park Avenue Armory Renovation unveiled by Herzog and De Meuron - November 01, 2011
Restoration in progress in Company D at Park Avenue Armory.
Photograph by James Ewing
The multi-year project reinvigorates the original design of the historic building, which includes the 55,000-square-foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall and an array of period rooms by some of the most innovative designers of the 19th century, while advancing the Armory’s mission, dedicated to the creation and presentation of visual and performing art that cannot be realized within the limitations of traditional performance halls and white-wall museums.
The approach will reinvigorate a holistic plan for each room through the integration of surfaces, lighting, and furniture. In each room, new elements designed by Herzog & de Meuron are added to achieve unity and functionality, including copper chainmail curtains that filter sunlight, copper furniture, and new copper or bronze lighting fixtures. New audio/visual, information technology, and other related production equipment will be discretely interwoven within the rooms to facilitate their flexible use for a range of purposes, from performances, art installations, artist studios, and educational activities, to concession areas and temporary cafés.
In the public areas, Herzog & de Meuron will reinforce the original quiet design. They will return the oak wainscoting in the corridors and the massive oak central stair to their original light honey color. They will reilluminate the main stair with lighting that will recall the building’s original skylight at the third floor and will add an undulating copper railing to make the staircase safe and subtly update its form. The large windows in the staircase that once borrowed light from the skylight will be sheathed in reflective copper and supplemental light will be provided to complement the refurbished torchieres and other original fixtures. The corridor walls and ceilings, in contrast to the very exuberant period rooms to which they connect, will be light-filled but restrained, with a dot pattern surface treatment that blends with the original neutral colors of the space.
The circulation in the building will also be improved through the introduction of a 455-square-foot copper clad elevator (the approximate size of one of the period rooms) that will connect the lower level, first, and second floors, and the balcony level at the drill hall. The elevator will be able to transport freight and art work as well as up to 96 visitors, and will also be able to function as a presentation space. In addition, it will serve as an additional entryway into the drill hall from the first floor.
“Park Avenue Armory is a richly layered building of outstanding historical significance that is transforming into a contemporary cultural center for New York City,” said architect Jacques Herzog, Founding Partner of Herzog & de Meuron. “We are treating the Armory like a living monument, preserving it for the future and above all reinventing it. Our method is not preservation in the traditional sense, where the original state of a building is reconstructed to simulate the historical original. Instead, we are revealing the physical traces the building has produced over time and developing highly specific responses to each space.”
Resources:
Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Ave., New York, NY, (212) 744-8180
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