The Seamstress

Contrast is key in my designs, and in the Seamstress it is the contrast between the copper exterior and the mottled patina of the interior. The cold connection of the “seam” was inspired by stitched seams seen in textiles and also some construction processes.

A stylish yet understated sculpture, the Seamstress will fit quietly into any interior. A limited run of 9, with 1 remaining. As each is handmade, while every one of the nine is the same, no two are identical.

The Seamstress began life as a flat sheet of copper. Once the 'seam' had been created the metal is manipulated using my hands with various steel and wooden stakes to create a fluid wave shape. I regularly annealed the copper between each movement (heating the copper to about 800 degrees so it becomes malleable again as the more you move the metal the harder and more rigid it becomes) so I could push the form further until it became my desired shape.

Patina is applied to the inside, using a solution of a mixture of ingredients then warming the copper to 80-90 degrees and splashing the mixture onto the inside walls of the vessel. Once the interior was coated, it was left to dry and repeated a further four times. The effect you see is not dissimilar to a natural copper patina you would see on antique pieces left in the garden for years.

Approximately 28cm tall, Copper and cupric nitrate with distilled water.