Bespoke pieces are a crucial part of my work. More generally a bespoke commission is a collaboration between customer and maker which prompts sharing of thoughts and dreams. This is often truly personal with all sorts of touching family details. I regularly make special pieces for weddings, anniversaries or christenings - all the important moments in life, while sometimes I have the sad task of commemorating a much loved pet. It transforms the making process into a more involved exchange of ideas which brings huge responsibility with it. Its an honour to be included in people’s lives in this way and to help bring such personal stories to life.

A customer recently approached me to discuss a unique gift for her son. She wanted an automata that would encapsulate him and his family while also showing their combined interests and their pets. She especially wanted a nod to their home in America. It was quite a challenge to bring all these elements together in copper. I managed to record some of the different stages which I hope will help bring the bespoke process alive.

The images below show an initial sketch stage and the final piece. To see the carousel above the family group in action just click this link.

Initial sketch of automaton

The Finished Piece

The next gallery of pictures show the raw copper stages of the making process. I’ve added the final hand drawn sketch to show the translation from paper to metal. I use a combination of fine marker pens and paper cut outs to transcribe the sketch from paper to copper then cut the design using metal shears and a fret saw. Once the pieces are cut they need to be filed to get rid of rough edges. Next, eyes are drilled to suggest a more human appearance. I can spend quite a bit of time sawing and filing away at noses as the wrong angle can change the look of the face completely - the differences can be very subtle (I’m glad I don’t do rhinoplasty!). After everything is cut and smoothed off I add linear details either by hammering or taking the copper sheet through a rolling mill. More on these processes in a future blog post…

The biggest task is soldering all the different aspects of the design together. That too is for a future blog post. For now, I hope you get a picture of how the design aesthetics of the automata come together and how paper notions transform into metal.

To see a break down of the processes involved in commissioning a bespoke piece just click here.

As a response to the horrendous situation in Ukraine I’m running a little fundraiser competition so today’s blog is all about how you can get involved. All money raised will go straight to the Disasters Emergency Committee for Ukraine. I am donating the automata, all material costs and postage costs. I’d love you to take part and help me raise money to support the people of Ukraine. You need to go to my Just Giving page to contribute.

Sunyashniki

I have made sunflower automata in the past, as its the national flower of Ukraine it seemed obvious to fundraise around this beautiful flower. Sunflowers work so well as automata as they naturally turn throughout the day to follow the sun so turning the handle on the automaton to see the sunflower rotate makes perfect sense. I made a completely new automata especially for the competition from patinated copper, golden leaf and reclaimed hardwood. The title ‘Sunyashniki’ is Ukrainian for sunflower. By contributing to my fundraiser you will be in with the chance of winning the automata and helping a most worthy cause. Your name will go into a hat once for every £10 donated so donate £10 and get one chance to win, donate £30 and get 3 chances to win and so on. Don’t forget to tick the box to share your contact details with me so I can get in touch if you win! The competition closes on April 25th and a winner will be drawn and notified on April 28th. Full details of how it works are on my Just Giving page. You can see the automata at work on my website here.

Thanks for reading and taking an interest in sunflowers and causes.

Very best of luck!

Following a photoshoot with John Hersey I now have a beautiful collection of new photos of my work. John also took photos of my hands and tools as he got excited by the opportunities offered in my tiny workshop. The photos were taken just as the light was going down on what had been a bright November day in 2021. John was keen to capture the light as it was offered, so the photos are rich in chiaroscuro (strong contrast in light and dark as seen in the paintings of Caravaggio!). I hope you’ll agree that the photos are beautiful works of art in themselves.

hammering a centre point on copper

One photograph shows the frequent process of hammering a centre point into metal prior to drilling a tiny hole. The hole could represent an eye on a character like a whale or it could be an entry way into the metal so that I can use a fret saw to cut a more complicated shape. Either way, I have been using the same centre punch and hammer since 1990. That’s the wonderful thing about the traditional metal working techniques I use, the tools are truly lifelong friends.

I felt an affinity with metal from the first time I tried silver soldering as a teenager. My mum is a potter and back when I lived at home I would often help her out at craft fairs. On one occasion she introduced me to one of her jeweller friends who showed me how to solder two bits of silver together. It seemed like magic then and still does. I love the fact that many of the tools I use today could have been used by our ancestors in the middle ages, or a similar version could have been used as far back as the iron age. There is a warmth and a humanity to hand tools that comes from repeated use, wearing the wooden handles into the shape of the maker’s grip.

Another photo captures me using a block of bees wax to ensure the tiny saw blades I use in the fret saw run smoothly to cut more intricate patterns into sheet metal. I can’t think how many of these saw blades I’ve burnt through over the years - they have a horrible habit of going ‘ping’ just at the wrong moment, there then follows a quick scurry around the workbench to find another.

People often assume there is a high tech option to cut copper into the tiny shapes and patterns that I use. If anyone knows of any that work then please let me know - I’m told that laser cutting copper is impossible because its so heat conductive that it seals itself right back up again - genius metal! However, I have to say that I really do enjoy the hands on approach. It ensures that every piece is entirely unique and adds that all important human quality that can’t be achieved any other way. So I will carry on using my fret saw, my snips and my decades old hammers to make my work.

Its been a while since I’ve added to my blog, apologies for the absence but its been for good reason. I’ve been busy working on new pieces and planning new strategies for my little micro business. You may need to bear with me whilst I organise a few changes to the website.

With the support of Cultivator Cornwall I’ve been working on a short film with film maker Florence Browne. We managed to choose a stunning day of autumn sunshine to film in my workshop and local area. Can’t wait to see the results - fingers crossed I can share the final cut on my website very soon.

On top of that I’m also making pieces for a photoshoot with fabulous photographer John Hersey. I’ll have a whole new collection of images to share with you in the not too distant future.

All these plans have got me thinking about what I do and why I do it. I’ve made an early new years resolution (yes - very early!) so I can share this with you on my blog. I’m planning on focusing on behind the scenes stories from the workshop. I do this already on Facebook and Instagram but I’ll be able to give you more detail here. Keep an eye out - you might just learn something!

Before I forget I should also let you know that I’m only doing one live Christmas event this year. I’ll be in Deveron village hall in Cornwall for Creek Arts Christmas Fair on December 4th. Hope you can make it along!

Meanwhile, orders and bespoke commissions continue coming in on the run up to Christmas. There’s a definite change in shopping habits going on with many people planning well ahead of the big day. Its gratifying to note that small businesses are being well supported in these tricky times so this is a good time to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you for showing an interest in my work. I really appreciate you reading this blog, browsing my website, following me on Instagram or Facebook (@esthersmithartist) and, of course, adding my pieces to your personal collection or your Christmas list!

Thanks for reading!