Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths

Redefines the vocabulary of metalsmithing. In print for more than three decades. A master artist and teacher of metalwork presents a bold new approach to creative expression in metal. Believing that the time has come for the artist to free himself from the functional forms that have dominated the metal smith's craft--the cup, the box, the pitcher, etc.--Heikki Seppa urges the craftsman to create in terms of pure form, and in this book he shows him how. Two Things are essential. The first is a thorough understanding of the special properties of metal as an artistic medium and an intimate knowledge of techniques for working it. Only when he has mastered the physical means of working with metal can the artist free his imagination for unimpeded creation. Though not addressed to the beginner, Seppa discusses the fundamental techniques of planishing, soldering, and hinging--all the basic means by which metal is shaped. The second is to free the artist from thinking in terms of function, sinc