At first I didn’t believe that these were really silver. I thought maybe paper mache painted silver or something but never silver alone, I was wrong. The works of Helena Schepens are incredibly delicate, unlike anything in metal I’ve seen before.
These are silver and then they have holes in them. Like some naturally forming, crazy gorgeous colander. They’re unbelievable light looking (and actually physically light I imagine).
The above photo is why I thought they might be silver leafed somethings. The texture created on the surface is amazing – I would love to know how she makes these.
As everyone knows, I love things that look like they come from the sea. Many of Helena’s pieces remind me of sand dollars and coral. The only way they maintain their form I think is because they are metal, so the holes done damage their strength too much.
Most of Helena’s shows an such are in Antwerp in Belgium but also some in The Netherlands. I’m not quite sure where she lives.
So gorgeous, if they’re hammered she must do something to the surface after the working so that it has a shiny patina. I was thinking last night though that they might be cast even and then worked over.
So delicate.
Online Helena seems to be best known for her fruit bowls, which I’ve not included here but I do recommend checking out the rest of her portfolio.
Tags: 3D, metalsmithing, naturally-formed, silver, vessels