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Barb Sedgwick

Barb Headshot
Artist Statement

I love texture! It captivates and motivates me and is a fundamental quality of all my work. The attributes of light play (depth, shadows, highs, and lows) as well as touch are major components of my hand-embossed pewter, copper, or aluminum; melted solder art; and assemblage.

 

Currently my focus is hand-embossed metal. I am honored to use ancient techniques from Greece and the Middle East, European repousse, and Mexican repujado as I begin work with a flat sheet of metal.

 

The flat, smooth metal is magically transformed by my embossing, debossing, and embellishing. Next I patina and polish to further bring out the texture and design.  I finish by applying a protective sealant.

 

I thoroughly enjoy seeing people smile when they experience my creations and hope my artistic expression brings happiness to those who own my original, unique pieces.

pewter embossing process board
Hand-Embossed Pewter Process
embossing
embossing closeup
polishing

  1. Create the Design
    My designs are original and inspired by anything and everything! I enjoy a wide variety of subjects for my pieces. If I re-use a motif, the result is still unique because the individual hand work varies. Once I decide on the design for a piece, I lightly sketch it on the pewter sheet.
     

  2. Emboss Outline
    Working from the back with the pewter sheet on a piece of suede, I emboss the outline sketched in step 1, pressing hard enough on the metal to make an indentation.
     

  3. Refine
    Then working from the right side of the pewter on a hard surface I clean up the lines embossed in step 2. This is called refining, and results in well-defined lines and shapes.
     

  4. Work Metal from Both Sides
    This is where designs are completed, embellished, and detail is added using a variety of specialty tools. Various techniques are used to achieve different looks such as lines, curves, raised/flat, and puffed.
     

  5. Fill Back
    This ensures that the embossed areas will not flatten and the design stays intact. Fillers range from specialty pastes to spackle.
     

  6. Patina
    Patina is applied to enhance the dimension and texture. Each sheet of pewter takes the patina differently, which accounts for the variety of shades of the finished art and ensures no two pieces are ever identical.
     

  7. Polish
    Polish and buff the piece. The patina stays in the recessed areas so the texture is highlighted. This is the magic that really brings the design to life!
     

  8. Seal
    This protects the finish and prevents darkening.

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