Tom Palmer – Diluvial Vessel I

£2,670.00

2023

Recycled Pewter

37x24x24 cm

13.5 kg

 

 

The Diluvial pieces are cast from recycled pewter using a new process I have developed. There is an alchemical process in transforming scrap pewter often in the form of old tankards, teapots and tourist trinkets into pure silvery Liquid Metal. I excavate a void in raw wet clay using my bare hands. Into this I pour the molten pewter which rapidly cools and reacts against the clay which dries from the heat of the metal. This process creates this unusual surface and form, the positive impression of my hands from the clay and this unpredictable molten surface of the metal. This is then polished and heavily patinated to give the appearance of an ancient artefact, half grown, half sculpted.

Description

Tom is a sculptor and designer who practices in the space between the fine and decorative arts. He combines ancient and contemporary materials and techniques to create work ranging from individual pieces for private clients, to bespoke installations for interior designers and architects.

I am continually inspired by the wealth of artisan skills and the possibilities found in the intelligence of the hand. I find a form of self-expression in the materials and forms of the past, to create work that inhabits the space between sculpture, architecture and design.

Over time my work has come to explore the ideas and materials of the medieval and renaissance world, often through the secondary lens of the nineteenth century Arts and Crafts movement, attempting to meld ancient elements with more temporal concerns of design and form.

In my work, translucent alabaster takes on the vaulted forms of gothic architecture, tarnished cast pewter resembles some freshly excavated relic, part grown, part sculpted. Marble is hand carved to the delicate translucency of porcelain, eroded by hand and acid to the weathered surface of an ancient sculpture.

In a world of digital perfection and production we should question what an artist can bring to a piece? Perhaps by leaving traces of the hand on a surface, intuitively revealing the layers hidden within a natural material.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

We don't share your details with third parties. Please check our privacy policy.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

We don't share your details with third parties. Please check our privacy policy.