Anna Loney – Location #7
Anna Loney
Loney Metal Works
Usable, wearable or purely whimsical metal wares
308 Elmwood St Rear (Accessible From Dupont St)
Lanesboro, MN, 55949
Artist Statement
Many of my interests find their way into the work I make. Notice the hammer marks on a bracelet, or the satisfaction of a clasp which cleverly and securely holds something fast. Surfaces and functionality matter.
I think it’s fun to make shapes and forms with wire. Think of how many useful, factory made items you use in the space of a day: paperclips, safety pins, a clothes pin. And what if you considered these again? What if they were elevated, beautifully hand-made, as objects you wished to wear?
Other pieces reflect my love of how things grow, or the time-worn surface of found pieces of metal, glass, even plastic. I feel good about finding a shard of pottery in the garden or metal from a scrap yard, discarded decades after its reason for has gone away, and incorporating it in something in which you might find value, and beauty. I like making a piece appear as if it grew, of its own volition. I don’t know how often I achieve this. I don’t want to make things which are overly self-conscious.
Whimsy, simplification, and imagery show up in the animal forms I make. Humans have made animal forms for as long as we’ve made anything. They are a fascination for us. How could they not be? I’m just part of history’s chain of makers.
Symbols; a cross, heart, letter, treble clef, a star or moon – are inherently imbued with meaning. Can I make these in a way that lends interest, that reflects my vision?
I have many ideas. I get to indulge in seeing what turns up. It’s a challenge, not easy. Sometimes I plan, make drawings, design in advance. Other times I let my work wander. Nothing is fail-safe. Sometimes I go through my “failures” pile and try to realize something better, something redeemed from my scrap heap. Mostly, only do I share my successes with the public.
It’s almost funny to realize that I’ve arrived at a way of working without doing so intentionally. It’s taken time. I’m both content with it, and with its ongoing evolution. And it’s good to realize how my work relates to my life in terms of history, education, even survival. Work remains challenging and exciting to me. Something new is always turning up.