The Dance of Hammer and Flame

Hair on Fire project in process. A piece of fine silver that has been chased and repousséd a number of times has the pitch burned off of it before continuing.
Start of a project - Hair on Fire. A piece of fine silver on a soldering block for annealing.

It begins with a single sheet of metal

Every horse begins the same way – as an idea and a simple piece of metal.

The first breath of form

The metal comes alive, sculpted in reverse

Working from the unseen side, the first contours begin to rise. I slowly build volume and expression within the metal.

First repoussé pass on the piece - Hair on Fire. Fine silver embedded in a pitch bowl.
The piece - Hair on Fire. Several passes into the chasing and repoussé process, the piece is embedded in the pitch bowl.

Hand-Forged back and then front through many passes

the personality of the piece slowly begins to emerge

Each pass ends in flame, softening the metal and allowing me to develop more volume, detail, and character in the following pass.

The piece begins to find its voice.

The beauty of the unseen side

Revealing the artistry of time and detail

From first sketch to final polish, each piece requires between 25 and 65 hours of focused work.

Thousands of hammer strikes, numerous annealings and refinements remain within the metal as a quiet testament to the discipline of Chasing and Repoussé combined with my passion for horses.

Reverse side of the finished piece - Hair on Fire. Shows the detail of the work achieved with chasing and repoussé.
The finished piece - Hair on Fire. Fine silver with a bright pink Tourmaline stone set in 22 karat gold.

Hair on Fire

a celebration of movement and expression

What began as a simple piece of flat metal has become a unique personality full of energy and life. A single moment in time suspended.

The art of motion, shaped through the ancient technique of chasing and repoussé

My pieces are bold, exuding joy and exuberance.

The metal remembers every hammer strike. Motion is held, expression revealed, nothing repeated.

From artist to collector

the final expression of form and intent

Each horse is completed with intention. The stones, metals, and details chosen to complement the form.

Select pieces may commissioned to reflect the collector’s vision.

Custom creations may be designed in collaboration.

Begin the Conversation
A process photo of the piece - Fire. Large teal colored Amazonite beads lay next to the double horse chasing and repoussé sculpted pendant.