A Copper Alliance Member
Copper in the Arts
Issue #45: January '11 - Cont'd
Moran/Brown: Exquisite Contemporary Abstract Wall Constructions
Sculptor Robert Brown in front of his latest work, at the new Setai Hotel in New York City.
Photograph courtesy of Moran/Brown
Robert Brown grew up in Bisbee and received his art degree from Cochise College. He assisted a bronze sculptor for four years scaling up maquettes to colossal sized plaster sculptures before being cast in bronze.
They combined their expertise and started Moran/Brown in 1999. Copper work evolved towards abstract wall sculpture and away from tourist crafts as they concentrated on creating objects of tranquil and dynamic beauty. Today they work out of a home studio in Wilmington, North Carolina, where they live with their two daughters.
"I love the flexibility of copper, the texture, ease of shaping and variety of rich surface treatments," reports Moran. They buy mostly 16 oz. (.0216) 3' x 10' sheets from ThyssenKrupp Materials USA. Their process utilizes a torch to cut, braze and heat the copper sheets for a variety of colors. The metal's reflective quality produces a luminescent richness unique to copper underneath oxidized pigments. Hand tools from hammers to cutting wheels shape and sculpt the metal. Clients provide dimensions, color schemes and placement information for commissioned projects but leave the designing to Moran/Brown.
Indigo Gold contemporary copper wall sculpture by Moran/Brown.
Photograph courtesy of Moran/Brown
Moran/Brown quickly caught on, and now the couple is commissioned to create works all over the country. Their work is on display at hotel lobbies, financial institutions and medical facilities.
"In October 2010, we installed a 19' x 8.5' wall sculpture behind the reception desk at the new Setai 5th Avenue Hotel in New York City,” she says. “Production on this commission took four months. The artwork had about 4,000 individually torch-colored pieces of copper on 30 wood panels."
Earlier in 2010, Moran/Brown made lobby wall sculptures featured at Hotel Sierra in Morrisville, North Carolina and Hotel Sierra in Shelton, Connecticut. Their multiple wall sculptures can also be seen throughout the spa entry at Vdara in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their newest work will be on display at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show at Pier 94 in New York City from March 17 to 20. This will be their third year exhibiting at this show.
“I like consigning artwork to galleries and doing a show once a year because that gives us freedom to make new designs and develop new series,” says Moran.
Resources:
Moran/Brown, P.O. Box 846, Hampstead, NC, (910) 681-0012
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A Copper Rose Metal Art: High Relief Chasing and Repousse/Copper and Metal Fabrications
Copper and Steel Sunburst Security Door
Photograph courtesy of Debra Montgomery
Montgomery likes copper more than other non-ferrous metals due to the "extremely malleable properties." The use of heat, variety of chemical patinas and even solvent dyes result in artistic colorations on the copper that enhance her raised designs.
"Although it’s still quite a bit more expensive than steel, copper is relatively cheap compared to, say, gold or silver,” she says. “My suppliers are close—with one right here in Fresno—so I can obtain the material I need for a commission in a timely manner."
Typically, commissions start with discussion and creation of a concept by Montgomery or the customer. Once an approved sketch is generated, the copper is heated and quenched to anneal or soften it in preparation for forming. The design is transferred to the copper using carbon paper and a permanent marker. At this point in the process, Montgomery places the copper "over a material referred to as chaser’s pitch. The pitch I use is one I mix myself - a pine rosin base that softens with low heat. The copper adheres to the pitch, providing a malleable working surface that holds the copper in place but allows movement and shaping of the design. Once the copper is on the pitch, using a variety of liners, punches and a 6 or 8 oz. chasing hammer (depending on the copper's thickness), I begin outlining and pushing the design elements out from the back of the copper. It is then pulled off the pitch, re-annealed and details are refined from the front using the same tools. These steps are repeated a number of times throughout the creative process until the design is complete."
High Relief Chasing and Repousse/Copper
Photograph courtesy of Debra Montgomery
Montgomery is a member of "Creative Fresno," a group engaging creative professionals to create a stronger community and quality sense of space. Works such as "Maple Leaf Study," a copper and steel wall hanging, have appeared in juried art shows and exhibitions during the last few years. She will be teaching "Beginning Repousse Techniques" on Saturday, February 5th and Sunday, February 6th, 2011 at the newly founded Fresno Fire and Metal School of Industrial Arts which emphasizes eco-friendly practices.
Resources:
A Copper Rose Metal Art, P.O. Box 212, Dunlap, CA, (559) 338-0748
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Fallen Angel Jewelry: Linked through Brass
Open filigree hoop, dark antiqued brass.
Photograph courtesy of Fallen Angel
Each of the Etsy artists had their own sites that featured jewelry items like charms, glass beads and brass, but both discovered they had a linked passion for black brass while working together on an Etsy treasury team.
“If you had you told me this is how work and life were going to be like years ago, I would’ve laughed,” says Lavoie, who lives in Canada. “But I met my husband online 12 years ago, too, and the friends I met online even traveled for the wedding.”
The duo complements each other well: Himelfarb, a former accountant in Long Island, N.Y., crunches the numbers, runs the online store/takes orders, stocks the Fallen Angel Brass inventory and does the paperwork; Lavoie, who has designed jewelry since age 10, is assigned jewelry and graphic design duty.
“I think it would be overwhelming for one person to do it all together,” says Himelfarb.
“While it is unique that we work in two different locations, our partnership works really well because we don’t work together, in that we can work late online, through e-mails and lots of photos.”
Through their own Etsy journeys, the women each kept envisioning a line showcasing deep, dark brass stampings, filigree and chains – things that, at first, led them on a black brass treasure hunt.
Large butterfly link, dark antiqued brass.
Photograph courtesy of Fallen Angel
“I kept thinking, ‘I’d love to have this in black,’ but there was nothing well-made,” says Himelfarb.
But they wound up finding a wealth of raw, artistically made brass pieces in family-run warehouses throughout New England. They partnered with a finisher and Fallen Angel Brass, the supply forerunner to Fallen Angel Jewelry, was born in the summer of 2009.
The creative name was conjured up by the pair to connect to what Lavoie describes as “darkly romantic, overriding themes.”
“We were thinking of black,” says Himelfarb, “and came up with a name that was evocative of going through fire, living through a hard life, but made more beautiful, like going through the travails of life. So how does jewelry get to be beautiful? Just like people – the more troubles you have, the more beautiful it makes you.”
Fallen Angel’s beautiful vintage necklaces and earrings are inspired by the Art Nouveau, Neo-Victorian, and Romantic eras.
“I’m huge into Art Noveau,” says Lavoie. “It’s my favorite time period … and I really dig color theory, so that plays a big part in my designs. I always want to continue having a vintage look. There are some modern, angular looks inspired by nature and art history – and I love the stamped, steampunk look of making the old new again.”
The ladies love working with brass in particular because Himelfarb says it’s not only pretty, but bendable-soft and sturdy. She says Fallen Angel has received a huge response from customers worldwide who echoed their weary hunt for black brass.
“Many say, ‘Black? I’ve been looking for black brass everywhere!’” says Himelfarb.
Resources:
Fallen Angel Brass and Fallen Angel Jewelry, Long Island, NY and Canada
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Copper in the Arts: EVENTS
- Palm Beach Jewelry, Art, and Antique Show
Feb 15, '13 - Feb 18, '13 - Native Expressions: Dave McGary’s Bronze Realism
Mar 7, '13 - Jun 30, '13 - Evolving Character Head Demonstration with John Coleman
Mar 9, '13 - Mar 9, '13 - More Upcoming Events...
Copper in the Arts: NEWS
Freyberger Gallery presents STEAMpunk! - January 13, 2011
Steampunk Laboratory Glass Goggles
Photograph courtesy of Brute Force Studios
The label "steampunk" originated in the 1980s as a twist on the term "cyberpunk" to describe an art and design movement that incorporates mostly found and repurposed objects that are usually mechanical in nature, and grounded in antique locomotion and the Steam Age. Brass and copper, signature trademarks of the Steampunk movement, are frequently used to accent modern-day objects. Artists tend to focus on Victorian and Edwardian era technology, in which the Industrial Revolution has begun but electricity has not yet been invented.
Last winter, the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford, UK hosted a Steampunk exhibition that attracted more visitors than any previous show at the museum. The exhibit, curated by New York-based designer and artist Art Donovan, featured work from around the globe, including Japan, Australia, Great Britain, and the United States.
“Imagine the technology of today with the aesthetic of Victorian science,” described Donovan.
Based on that landmark exhibit, the Freyberger Gallery is featuring artists who are working with the Steampunk genre. The exhibition will include a Victorian wheelchair, a mechanical arm, robots, ray guns, and much more. The gallery itself will be transformed to resemble a Victorian parlor.
Featured artists include Thomas Willaford, Brute Force Studio, Harrisburg, PA; Steve Wetzel, Wezco Art Company, Supply, NC; V. Holecek, Schamballah Studio, Kansas City, MO; Sarah Cavillo, Big Spaceship Design Studio, Brooklyn, NY; Eric Freitas, Royal Oak, MI; Jeff Kahn, Kahn Studio, Lenharstville, PA; Allan Brintzenhoff, Kutztown, PA; and Paul Karabashian, Hamburg, PA.
The gallery will show the films The Fabulous World of Jules Vern (1958) and The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello (2005), an Oscar-nominated Australian film. There will also be various workshops, a Victorian literature display, a Victorian photo shoot for students, and many other activities.
Resources:
Penn State Berks, The Freyberger Gallery, Tulpehocken Rd., Reading, PA, 19610, (610) 396-6000
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