The
essential quality of my work is harmony of form.
Nancy's passion for metalsmithing began over
35 years ago. She was captivated by the age old process
of forming the metal directly with hammers. "The hammer
is simply an extension of my hand..." Her exploration
of the traditional smithing techniques, raising holloware
and forging, started with traditional vessels forms. Soon
she began to push the envelope both technically and visually,
leaving the rotation form and functional form behind. Asymmetrical
table top sculptures and wallpieces were a natural progression
for her nature based aesthetic. "Natural forms have
always fascinated and excited me: plant forms, earth forms,
human forms."
Sculptural jewelry was the next step, taking
the sculpture off the pedestal and putting it on then body.
Nancy did a series of one of a kind sculptural bracelets
over the course of two years in the mid-1980’s. The
tremendous success of this direction encouraged her to repeat
the designs, adding earrings, neckpieces, and pins to her
line of bracelets. Over the last 20 years the line has grown
with over 80 different designs, each made in a variety of
sizes, available in both a Sterling & 18K combination
and solid 18K gold.To create each piece, flat patterns are
cut from sheets of gold and silver and hammered systematically
over specialized tools. Once a piece has been hammered into
its final form, it's filed and sanded, then buffed to a
high polish. This fine finish accentuates the simple sculptural
lines of her jewelry.
Sculpture III
handforged bronze
NFS
artist collection
I want my sculptures to
stir the observer’s inner sense of beauty. To be peaceful
in their simplicity.
In the fall of 2006 Nancy started on a new exciting path.
This new work, hot-formed using 1/8" thick bronze plate,
is a culmination of her 35 years of experience. This type
of forming, with hammers on such massive sheets of metal,
produces works that have both the physical and visual strength
usually found only in a bronze casting and the fine linear
fluidity that can only be accomplished when a skilled metalsmith
works directly with the metal. The surface has a rich heat
patina while the edges are high polished, defining the forms
with reflected light. Every centimeter of these pieces are
hammered many times as the form is considered and perfected.
The subconscious becomes conscious then intuitive. A lifetime
of studying nature’s most exquisite forms, the geometry
of nature, and the forms that physiologically feel good
to the human eye, is drawn upon in the creation of these
new works.
Nancy Linkin’s studio is in coastal Maine,
surrounded by a lovely perennial garden and lush Maine woods,
rich in the natural forms that have inspired the fluid grace
found in her work.
Known for her sculptural jewelry, Nancy Linkin
expands her artistry as a metalsmith to include hot-forged
bronze sculpture. Defining her latest work as a culmination
of 35 years working with metal and incorporating her study
of curvilinear forms found in nature and geometry, Linkin
debuts her bronze pieces at Harbor Square's July 2007 exhibition.
As seen in one of her pieces "Sculpture III" (measuring
H 18" x D7" x W9"), Linkin's work has both
the physical and visual strength usually found in a bronze
casting and the linear fluidity that can only be accomplished
by a skilled metalsmith who forms and shapes the metal directly
using hammers, as she does. "I heat the sculpture with
a giant torch and form the metal while red hot using my
silversmithing hammers. Every centimeter of the metal is
hammered over and over to achieve and refine the form I
envision."
Linkin has created a "Garden Sculpture" specifically
for the gallery's rooftop sculpture garden, The Muir Garden
for Contemporary Sculpture.
Sculpture VI
hand forged bronze
