Rachel Levy-Bencheton

 

My metalsmithing practice

has been enriched and informed by my work as a painter,writer,eco-garden designer and expressive arts facilitator for kids at risk.

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I was born in Morocco 

where the age-old metalsmithing traditions of North Africa continue to fill the maze-like medina (old city) marketplaces. The sights and sounds of master metalsmiths at work on their intricate metal forms left a deep impression on me.

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My studio methods

and procedures are largely non-toxic and I use mostly hand tools to create the work. The pieces are all one of a kind. The images and forms that emerge come out of a process of open-ended curiosity and playful engagement with design and the capacities and limitations of the metal. Unintended surface textures and inconsistencies are sometimes revealed as enhancing to the overall expressiveness of the piece and are included in the final form.

I know a form is complete when it evokes a certain felt sense in my body.