An Interview with Patti Vanderbloemen By Cynthia Machata
“
A Texture Girl
I had so many questions for Patti, as I wanted to
better understand what inspires her beautiful
metal work. I asked her if there was any type of
metal she preferred. “For the longest time, I only
used sterling silver. The look of silver – whether
left shiny and bright or oxidized and buffed to
perfection, to me, is the be all & end all of metals. A running second is copper. It took me a
long time to learn to love copper. But, once I
learned how to patinate the copper to achieve
what I call a ‘caramel color,’ I was hooked. And my third metal of choice – a recent one for
me – is Red Brass. It has the look of gold, though it is a lot tougher to bend! But, red brass,
unlike yellow brass, takes a patina like liver of sulfur, and buffs up beautifully! I am most
happy when I can combine any or all of the metals for a Mixed Metal piece.”
The most important aspect of working
with metals that totally has me hooked is
the ability to add texture. I am a texture
girl, be it wire or sheet. If I can add texture
to a piece, I will. Be it twisting, folding,
coiling, hammering, stamping...to me,
adding texture is what makes the piece
complete, it’s the frosting on the cake!
When I asked how she got started
working with metal she told me,
“First of all, I classify ‘metal’ as encompassing both wire and sheet, and
eventually, I hope, precious metal
clay. My very first project was a chain
maille bracelet, oh it was awful! But,
I made that bracelet again and again,
until those little jump rings finally
closed up properly! Although I have
made ‘traditional strung’ jewelry, my
favorite has always been pieces that
incorporate metal. “