Copper Leaf Studios

copper maps ~ custom copper artwork

Epilogue: Metal Artwork from Posts Past

In writing this post, I realized I have been remiss.  I’ve very often told you the start of a story without coming back to tell you how it ended.  So today’s issue is going to dig back into a few earlier projects and bring them full circle.  (click on titles to read the original posts or images to find out more info about the pieces)

Decisions, Decisions

Back in April I asked your opinions about a large Cleveland skyline. I received quite a bit of lovely feedback on the sketches! When I tallied up the emails, blog comments, and twitter responses, the classic black & white design was a clear winner. The bottom sketch was a close second, so when this piece finds its home I will make a companion in silvery teal blues. Here is the final piece – I’m quite happy with how it turned out! I think the moody atmosphere and strong shapes work well in the piece, and pay homage to the Art Deco style of much of our local architecture:

The Guardian

The Guardian was finished in time to debut at Cain Park, where it received a lovely response — including features in three local media sources. In hindsight, I think most people couldn’t decipher how it was made… which is always an interesting dilemma. I want my work to be appreciated purely visually – it either grabs you or it doesn’t – but there is definitely a different level of appreciation when observers learn that it is made from metal, cut apart with a tiny sawblade barely the thickness of a sewing needle. I’m always trying to find new ways to convey the process, I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Custom Boxes

The boxes have received a lot of attention (and lovely sales), but my offer for a custom logo box got lost in the shuffle. So I’m putting it back out there! If you own or work for a business and would like a box with your company logo or business info on the lid, please let me know! The small box fits business cards nicely, so it’s a perfect match. But I need examples to get started! You’ll receive one lovely wenge box at a discount in exchange for letting me photograph the finished piece for promotional purposes. You get a box, I get a picture, and your business gets a tiny spotlight on the CLS website! No small print, except that I need permission to post it. So if it’s not your biz, just give me a thumbs up from the person in charge!

Hope you’ve enjoyed this glance back through the projects!  Will be sharing new work soon!
Until next time,

Chris

Decisions, Decisions

Hello all,

Well, it’s been a few weeks and I had hoped to share a huge project with you, but I have a few more technical details to iron out.  It should be finished shortly, but the trick with large pieces is that once the components are finished, they kinda come together backward — the hanging mechanism and backing board happen first, then the metal surface is laid on top.  So the good parts are done, but the behind the scenes stuff still needs a bit of mechanical fussing around.

In the meantime, I do have a fun new smaller (okay, medium-sized) piece to share!  Since the Cleveland-themed work has enjoyed such a positive response, I wanted to make some larger pieces to fill out the offerings.  The new piece is based on this skyline, that I use for my small photo pieces:

Cleveland skyline metal artwork by Copper Leaf Studios

…except instead of having a gritty, industrial feel,  it will have a modern twist.  I stylized the buildings a bit, giving them almost a stained glass look to contrast the detailed lower cut landscape.  I cut most of the piece on my shear break, so it has a lot of straight lines and a strong sense of geometry.

cut & etched:

metal art large Cleveland skyline work in progress

The picture is a little difficult to read because of the shiny surface, but Clevelanders might recognize the iconic shapes of the BP Building, Key Tower, Terminal Tower, and the curve of the stadium hidden within the shapes .  Sheared pieces like this can be tricky because while they seem straightforward and representational, they have to be designed in a particular way in order to work.  Since every cut spans the entire length of the metal, you have to plan out not just where they will be, but the order in which they will be made.  If you look carefully, you will find the first three vertical cuts that divided up the large plate.  The entire piece is about two feet wide, so once it has a bit of color I think it will make quite a nice display.

I’m not sure what colors I’m going to use yet, so I did a little experimenting with the original picture in photoshop.  So far I’m torn between classic black and white, with the silver of the metal showing through:

…or dark skyline against a teal blue sky, leaving the tip of the Key Tower silver to mimic its shiny metallic top:

…or silver/ teal combination, to break away from the standard silhouette dark-on-light:

…or skip the realism all together, and paint it all shades of blue:

So, I’ve decided to do what I do best — ask YOU guys! ;)  Which do you think will have the most impact?  Does it matter whether it’s more or less realistic?  Which is the most appealing overall?  Leave a comment below, or shoot me an email — I’d love to hear your thoughts!!

Take care, and have a great week!

Chris