Chuck Hunner - Metalsmith

Artist Statement - June 2005
Asheville, North Carolina, USA
828-216-1422

My jewelry pieces are primitive, yet polished; modern, yet ancient. I shape gold, silver and copper to make crescent tubes and spirals. The beauty is in the form. Sometimes I add different colored metal and gems to create unique pieces.

This process of bending metal back on itself using hammers and special anvils is called anticlastic raising. I love moving metal with the hammer. The rhythm of the tapping moves me into a very serene place. Watching the metal bend and curl under the mallet is at once exciting and satisfying.

This technique is a new approach in jewelry making for me. My metal working journey began in 1972 in a friend's basement and I've been a lost wax caster since 1974. After two years of intense work, I became precise enough to become the model maker in a jewelry factory in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Working there taught me about production work.

Anticlastic raising is very immediate. As I work, I can see my piece of metal jewelry taking shape. I would have had to wait hours, even if I was hurrying, to see metal shapes when doing lost wax casting. My new craft is very gratifying. The best part is that I can carry my whole shop in a small suitcase. This means I can go way out on the mountain and make jewelry away from the confines of civilization. It's just me, dancing with beauty.