Aggie Beynon Retrospective

Artist statement taken from exhibition catalogue, courtesy of Aggie Beynon: 

My work is as much about process as it is about a finished object. The work is about pushing the limits of the properties of various pure metals. There is a dynamic tension between the metals, yet the finished pieces are tranquil. The inspiration behind most of my work is the direct result of observing the dynamics of nature, how vegetative decomposition softens and paints the hard surface on which it rests or how the rigid structure of a rock is composed of delicate patterns revealing its geological origins. The powdered metal I make allows me to create such surfaces.  

An important part of my 20 year metalsmithing career has involved the research and development of this metal process called powdered metal. It was developed over a four year period (1980- 1984) while I was a student at the University of Kansas and completed after graduation. Under the mentorship of Dr. Ken Rose, head of University of Kansas Metallurgical Engineering Department, my research explored how metal powders combine and interact under pressure and heat, and how to use these various combinations of metals together to develop possibilities for patterns and textures. Developing this process in the mechanical engineering department required scientific methodology, yet my problem-solving approach employed artistic assumptions, which allowed me to view "scientific failures" as artistic opportunities. This approach eventually resulted in some ground-breaking research. Preliminary results were published in Metalsmith Magazine, Fall, 1982.