10 Vessels in 10 Days is a project that I've wanted to do for so many years, and I've
set myself the challenge of creating one vessel each day over a 10 day period.
Some days were busier than others, some days I was tired, and some days I really focused
and could spend a lot of time on the vessel.
The project is essentially an avenue for me to explore different ideas and processes that
are ticking over in my head.
A sort of three dimensional sketch if you like.
The vessels are quite playful and interesting, each one has its own character, perhaps shaped
by my thoughts on the day.
Each day I begin with the rough sketch, a scribble on a piece of paper, or sometimes
just an idea in my head.
As the day progresses, so too does the vessel.
Some ideas change and evolve through the making process, and it becomes very apparent to me
that the need to be open to these changes.
Often things didn't quite turn out how I wanted.
Drill bits broke in the vessel, shapes weren't quite as I thought they would be, and holes
weren't centred.
It has been a challenge for me to work with these hiccups and still complete a piece that
I'm happy with.
Where I would usually remake a piece, I actually need to persevere and work with these bumps
in the road to achieve a result at the end of the day.
Alongside time, I also set myself the constraint that each vessel had to be hand raised.
That is, starting as a flat sheet and hammering the metal in stages to create a hollow form.
For this series, I've worked in both fine silver and copper.
I start by sinking the flat sheet of metal into a hollow of a tree stump, and this is
the first stage in giving the metal some shape.
The sheet is then annealed, a process where it is heated to a critical temperature that
returns the metal to a soft state so it can be worked again.
Raising is a traditional silversmithing technique, which is becoming a dying art.
It is intensely time consuming and labor intensive, but it is also an incredibly rewarding process.
It's quite amazing what you can achieve with a sheet of metal and a hammer.
I begin the raising process, where I support the sheet of metal over a steel state and
hammer in concentric circles from the inside out.
This begins to give the metal a defined form.
From here, it is a very repetitive process. The metal is worked, then annealed to soften
and then worked again. I do this many times over until I'm happy with the shape.
Then I begin to punish the vessel. Punishing allows me to refine the existing hammer marks
on the surface, and also starts to smooth the inside surface of the vessel. This process
can be done many times. However, for this piece, I have to stop after only punishing the piece
two or three times due to the time constraints.
Then I begin to punish the vessel. Punishing allows me to refine the existing hammer marks
on the surface, and also starts to smooth the inside surface of the vessel. This process
can be done many times. However, for this piece, I have to stop after only punishing
the piece two or three times due to the time constraints.
This process can be done many times.
This process can be done many times.
This process can be done many times.
Some of the vessels incorporate different surface finishes or detailing, giving each
one its own personality. Wrapped, bound and tied with steel binding wire, I like to reference
different construction methods, often used when making vessels. Usually reserved for
holding a piece together while soldering. It is then snipped off and thrown away. It
is such a helpful part of constructing metal objects, yet so rarely seen in the finished
process.
