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As a shipwright, V. Michael Ashford developed an
“I-can-make-anything” mind-set that now serves him well as a
coppersmith.
At his Evergreen Studios in Olympia, Ashford produces
hammered-copper lamps for clients around the world, emulating
the methods of Dirk van Erp, Gustav Stickley and Roycroft
Studios. Ashford’s lamps have been featured in two movies and
adorn the presidential suite at Disney’s Grand Californian
hotel. “The Green Mile” producer Frank Darabont and actress
Lucy Lawless are both customers.
The challenge of learning a nearly lost art both intrigues and
frustrates Ashford. Only a half-dozen or so coppersmiths work
in the United States—and because they’re the competition, most
of them aren’t willing to share secrets. Coppersmithing tools
aren’t available commercially, so Ashford has his
manufactured. And, the only book he’s found regarding
hammering technique deals with silver, not copper.
“If someone had been there to tell me how to do some of these
things – like patina -- I’d have a lot less gray hair on my
head,” he says.
Before taking up coppersmithing, Ashford used the carpentry
skills he’d refined while working on boats to build plant
stands, coffee tables and entertainment cabinets. Then,
dissatisfied with the drawer pulls he was able to buy, he
decided to make his own.
“After you work with boats for a while, you start thinking you
can make anything,” he says.
After successfully creating copper drawer pulls, Ashford’s
thoughts turned to the arts and crafts lamps he’d long
admired. He started making copper shades in 1989; by 1991 he’d
completed his first full van Erp-inspired lamp.
A decade later, his solo venture has grown into a six-person
studio. Custom lamps make up 40 percent of the studio’s work;
catalog designs are made to order and cost from $325 for a
wall sconce to $9,000 for a nine-lantern chandelier.
The lamps are formed from flat sheets of copper that are
hammered, annealed (heated with a torch), cleaned and hammered
some more. Many designs require up to 20 cycles of hammering
and annealing. After shaping, the piece is planished (hammered
in successive rounds) to create a regulated texture. All
surfaces are hand-hammered, from the rims of the lampshades to
the chain links that hang chandeliers. As a final step,
chestnut patina is applied to produce the glow of aged copper.
“There’s nothing easy about this process,” says Ashford, with
a grin. “I have no doubt that’s why I love it so much.” |
