Sculpting in metal has a deep satisfaction. Making a piece from copper means that it will be around for hundreds of years, unlike my 'food art" of cheffing that is gone in moments.
This piece was inspired by the works of Claire Faulkenstein, a sculptor from the early to mid part of the last century,(July 22, 1908 – October 23, 1997). She was an American sculptor, painter, print maker, jewelry designer, and teacher, most renowned for her often large-scale abstract metal and glass public sculptures. The other influence was my mentor, Dominick Laruccia, Jr. His technique and use of materials are infused in the piece.
The sphere is constructed of over 200 feet of copper tubing held together with more than 4,000 braised attachment points. Hidden in the center of the sphere is a lapis lazuli globe reminiscent of earth. I chose the pyramidal base for its eternal appeal. The sculpture references the cosmos in the maco and micro sense. The web of copper around the earth-like sphere echos the contrapuntal fugue of the expanding universe. OK, sounds like an art critic or wine snob! What do you see in it?
The piece went through two design phases. The first mount was constructed from copper shot, pipe fittings and has a repeated copper tube design. The central pipe core had a trap door to place a light inside. On top and inside the sphere was a large Crystal ball that would have been illuminated from the light at the bottom of the pipe. I did not like the cluttered look under the sphere so I deconstructed the base and redesigned it with th pyramid. The trick was braising the sphere to the pyramid and not melting the epoxy holding the lapis globe to its mount on top of the pyramid. See if you can figure out how I did that hat track by watching the You Tube Video below. The pyramidal base has a hidden compartment for storing stacks of $100 bills, love letter or old treasure maps.
Michael Hutchings
Coppersmith
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