Raising a torso

The torso in the photo is formed from a single piece of sheet copper, there is no seam. It is hollow with the opening at the bottom edge. It stands about eight inches high. This piece was a milestone in my effort learning to raise copper. It represents how far I've come in three years. I had the foresight to take pictures at each cycle of hammering and heating. Unfortunately, I didn't have the foresight to have extra batteries for my camera and so the series only shows the top half of the torso being formed.

hammering hanson

I've been hammering all my life but only recently began hammering copper. Initially the things I created were simple in form and symmetrical, like bowls and rectangular trays. As I slowly learned what the hammer can do when working copper over an anvil or stake, I began to make more challenging forms.