Radiant Echoes: The Metal Mastery of Victoria Lansford from Victoria Lansford

A comprehensive retrospective exhibition and monograph showcasing the artist’s journey through over three decades of ground-breaking applications of historical metalsmithing techniques. This online exhibition of Victoria Lansford’s remarkable, one-of-a-kind art jewelry, art objects, and larg... more

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Doors shown closed

Turtle Doors by Victoria Lansford Image: Detail of doors with artist

Turtle Doors by Victoria Lansford Image: Detail of left door

Turtle Doors by Victoria Lansford Image: Detail of right door

Turtle Doors by Victoria Lansford Image: Beginning the Eastern repoussé process of one panel

Turtle Doors by Victoria Lansford Image: Puffing out the turtle on one panel from the back

Turtle Doors by Victoria Lansford Image: Chasing the lines for the larger circle motifs

Turtle Doors by Victoria Lansford Image: Chasing one turtle from the front

Turtle Doors by Victoria Lansford Image: When an area was too big to fill with pitch, I chased it supported with a mushroom stake held in my great-grandfather's anvil. (viewed from below)

Turtle Doors by Victoria Lansford Image: When an area was too big to fill with pitch, I chased it supported by a mushroom stake held in my great-grandfather's anvil.

Turtle Doors by Victoria Lansford Image: Chasing one panel from the front

Turtle Doors by Victoria Lansford Image: Uduak wrapping twine on the S hooks for the Etched Copper Room Divider (separate piece) and De planishing texture to one panel's background

Turtle Doors by Victoria Lansford Image: Drilling the decorative holes

Turtle Doors by Victoria Lansford Image: Hammering the copper over the frame to wrap the sheet and secure it from the other back.

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Victoria Lansford
Turtle Doors, 2017
Copper, wood, and aluminum, waxed pigment
61 x 82 x 3 in

These commissioned panels were forged in the technique of Eastern repoussé and wrapped around wood and aluminum frames to create sliding pocket doors to cover the media screen in the lounge of a bespoke, 69 meter superyacht.

I hammered the panels from 4 sheets of copper that I riveted together to form the 2 pocket doors. At the client’s request, I rendered the design in multiple circular textures and strategically drilled holes to allow light to come through. The relief tapers so that the design fades at the outside edges of the doors. Lacquer protects the patinated doors’ finish.

I began the project in late 2015 hammering a 12 x 12 in. sample of one turtle’s head. Due to delays in the shipyard’s sending the frames, I created these doors between early March, 2017 and shipped them in late August of the same year.
My studio assistants were Uduak Ita, Deanna Pastel, Chris Balch husband, and Skyler Hassan son. As we outgrew the limited space in my studio, we took over my screened in porch and eventually the deck.

At this time the client has not released images of the turtles installed on the superyacht.

Collections: 35th Anniversary Retrospective, 2015-2019, Evolution, Sculptural/Architectural Metalwork