Australian artist Sally Blake twists and plaits copper wire into metallic vessels and sculptures mimic organic forms. Working in a wide range of mediums—including textiles, drawing, and sculpture—she calls her practice a “visualization of the natural laws and patterning that hold people in right relationship with Earth, as well as the consequences of these unraveling.
Although Blake has been working with various mediums, we want to focus on her most striking pieces – crafts from thin twines of copper wire. These Metallic Vessels were inspired by a small skeletonized seed pod she was gifted after the death of her mother. As Blake described
“It seemed to symbolize much of what I was experiencing and feeling—it was vulnerable and also resilient. It still gently held its seed, as a source of potential new life and inspiration. I started working with copper wire to emulate the fragility and resilience of the seedpod. Copper is very flexible, and I can use it to twist and coil into organic forms. By using fine wires, the works can look quite fragile, but the wire is strong enough to hold the open forms.”
Currently, Blake is working on metallic vessels for a solo show opening on October 20 at Canberra’s Grainger Gallery. And you can follow her latest projects — Metallic Vessels or 2D drawings — on Instagram.
