Lisa Grant Designs, Los Banos, CA
I come from a background of graphic art and design, which started when I was in high school, but I am self-taught when it comes to metalsmithing.
Working with metal began as a fun hobby, but quickly turned into a passion. Much of the inspiration for my work comes from the diversity of landscape, from the ocean to the Sierras, of living in California.
Whenever possible, I like to use re-purposed metals in my work because they bring history, or stories, to the pieces. Certain processes used on metals are a direct reflection of atmospheric conditions, and because of this, no two pieces are the same.
I feel that metal is bold and edgy, yet beautiful and sexy. Though made of metal, the pieces are comfortable to wear. My hope is that the wearer of my pieces feels empowered by the raw strength of the metal.
Currently, my work is being sold at the Mercantile at Post Ranch Inn, in Big Sur, CA, Coming Attractions, in Sutter Creek, CA, and Biba, in Pacific Grove, CA.
My wall art consists of flame-painted copper and stainless steel backgrounds emphasized by ground metal overlays, as well as plasma cut metal on re-purposed wood. My yard art is made from steel and is fun and fanciful. The different metals create dimension and interest for each piece. Much of my wall art has been influenced by my jewelry.
My jewelry is unlike other metal jewelry. I do not work with precious metals, but rather, I like the re-purposed and recycled base metals. The base metals have an edgy, sexy, and powerful quality that the more refined precious metal can't offer.
Metals include copper, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, nickel silver, and titanium. My specialty is flame-painting copper, titanium and stainless steel, and using various techniques to get interesting patterns and swirls from the different metals. Flame-painting is pulling color from copper/stainless steel using an oxy/acetylene or oxy/propane torch to achieve varying colors based on temperature and atmospheric conditions.
