Pushing Beyond “Bumps on a Background” – What Changed My Repoussé
With repoussé, I always felt driven to take full advantage of the technique by making the relief appear intertwined and dimensional. However, like most artists practicing chasing and repoussé, I primarily first created what I now think of as “bumps on a background.”
Eastern repoussé and keum boo cuff
bracelet, 2023
Sterling, 24k gold
My intention is not to sound patronizing; some of the greatest repoussé work from antiquity is essentially shapes pushed out of a background!
After learning the technique of Eastern repoussé however, I was quickly frustrated that I wasn’t doing anything wildly unusual with the process. I could sense the potential for more complex levels of dimension than what was typically present in the most familiar historical bas relief work. Even so, I couldn’t yet envision what the designs might look like, nor understand how to approach my big idea from a technical standpoint.
Eastern repoussé and scrollwork
ring, 2023
18k gold/sterling bi-metal, sterling
silver
1.4 x 0.8 x 1.2 in
In 1994, I received a postcard invitation for an exhibition of artwork by Atlanta-based artist Kevin Cole. Kevin had been my drawing professor and my mentor at Georgia State University. He had repeatedly asked me to create a brooch based on one of his paintings to wear to his openings because he hated wearing neckties. Ironically, much of Kevin’s work relates to neckties.
by Kevin Cole (b. 1960)
Wood, acrylic
54 x 42 x 12 in
Image courtesy of Kevin Cole
Kevin’s artist statement notes that:
Since 1992, my art has been based on the relationship between sight, sound, and color which deals with music from the African American community such as jazz, rap, hip hop, gospel, and blues. Thus, my work is rooted in a place of targeted tragedy.
Kevin Cole
After receiving it, I left the exhibition postcard propped up on my desk. I tried to imagine intertwining strips of sterling silver in miniature to accommodate his commission request, but struggled at the thought of the inevitable sanding and polishing. One day, weeks – perhaps months – later, I suddenly saw in the postcard how I could replicate the composition in Eastern repoussé. That moment was the literal spark where my brain shifted to envision different possibilities with the technique than had been used historically. Though I very rarely work from anyone else’s designs, I created three brooches for Kevin based on different paintings. Working on each enabled me to explore more deeply my newfound way of seeing.
While some compositions, such as the large scale Turtle Doors I created for a custom built superyacht, call for “bumps on a background,” being able to see and think in increasingly dimensional relief gave me a world of new options in my approach to hammered sheet metal. They allowed me to create artwork that would otherwise never have been possible, such as the portrait of my son that adorns the cover of Imagination Bodies Forth, as well as the mokume gane metalwork for the cover of Giving Voice.
Excerpted in part from the monograph, Radiant Echoes: The Metal Mastery of Victoria Lansford
Push Yourself Beyond “Bumps on a Background” Now with the 2025 Extended Eastern Repoussé Course Online
Radiant Echoes: The Metal Mastery of Victoria Lansford showcases the artist’s journey through over three decades of ground-breaking applications of historical metalsmithing techniques. This retrospective publication comprehensively not only explores Lansford’s endless ability with complex metalsmithing techniques including filigree, Eastern repoussé, and granulation, but also speaks to how her skill and vision marry in the creation of objects that filters tradition through a contemporary lens. Simultaneously an artist, alchemist, and shaman, Lansford brings together the familiar with the unexpected through creative work that rethinks the millennia-old practice of turning raw materials into precious objects.
The book features over 150 images of art jewelry, art objects, and large-scale metalwork drawn from across Lansford’s career as well as a comprehensive glossary of her techniques used, offering a unique opportunity for readers to explore the evolution of Lansford’s creativity and craftsmanship. Radiant Echoes will make a fantastic addition to the library of anyone who loves jewelry, sculpture, metalsmithing, or simply contemplating beautiful objects.
Radiant Echoes includes new essays by curators, scholars, and artists including Kate Bonansinga, Cynthia Eid, Rauni Higson, Elyse Zorn Karlin, Victoria Lansford, and Jane Milosch, with consulting editor Emily Zilber.
Full color, casebound, 186+ pages
ISBN 978-0-9821833-6-6
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