Did you learn from a master?
I’m grateful to two masters who gave me the basic knowledge and the love of the field: Vered Kaminski and Simone Ten Hompel. But wherever I work, I learn new techniques and ways to engage with the metal. I believe in sharing knowledge, I learn from students and colleagues as well.
How would you define what you do?
I’m a silversmith and metal artist, combining fine art and applied art. I see artwork as something we connect to by touching, not just looking. It can be useful or decorative. But I do want it to be alive, in a relentless movement even after I’ve decided to finish it.
©Naama Haneman
Where do you find inspiration?
Chaos and order that co-exist in nature and objects inspires me to explore the meeting points and the contradictions between different shapes and compositions. I choose colours, materials and textures according to the contrast they made, searching how and where they become one.
Do you master any specific techniques?
I use traditional craft techniques to form contemporary shapes. A two-dimensional, flat sheet of metal is transformed into three-dimensional objects by heating, hammering, raising, chasing and repoussé (professional methods), with full control of the metal.