Anna Loney – Location #7
Anna Loney
Loney Metal Works
wearable, usable, and decorative metalwork
308 Elmwood St Rear (Accessible From Dupont St)
Lanesboro, MN, 55949
Artist Statement
I am a maker, a metalsmith, and a mom and about a million other things within the space of a year and yet these descriptors only cover some of the “m”s.
Before attending college, (Carnegie Mellon University BFA 1992, printmaking) I engaged in four years of non-degree, ‘continuing education classes’ at Cleveland Institute of Art. My teacher was a master silversmith, Solve Hallqvist. From him I learned to raise and forge flat and hollow wares in nonferrous material. These studies, more than any other, informed my skill and interest in making objects as a metalsmith.
Every project has a story or reason for being. Every class I’ve taught or attended has promoted the journey. My favorite project is the next one, as yet unknown. And despite persisting at this “making” for some four decades – it continues to challenge.
Textural details are important even as a work scales much larger. When functionality is a concern, it’s a primary one. Over the years, because of material or studio constraints, I’ve loved working with wire. It’s like drawing in three dimensions.
I depend upon the ways in which metal can be formed, its properties, its forgiveness too. That metal ores are extracted from the earth and further refined, at great expense, is a source of internal conflict around the work. But that’s also where my intent to ethically source and use material becomes a guide. I seek to make things which will serve, and endure long beyond my days.