Robin L. Washburn

After studying art in High School and Junior College I went into food service management and became an ice carver. For years I dabbled in a variety of mediums, including silk screen printing and woodworking. Eventually I found my place with metals and my passion grew for the patina process. Developing color and texture on metal is challenging and exciting. In recent years I've added hammering techniques and fold forming to my repertoire. I use a variety of hammers to create texture, including one of my favorites--an antique meat tenderizer. Fold forming is a process of folding metal, forging, annealing and unfolding the metal repeatedly to create 3 dimensional forms. On these forms I use chemicals to create the color, sometimes wrapping the metal with acid soaked fabric, brushing on the chemicals and sometimes applying heat during the process. Different chemical combinations will create different colors on the metal.