Jebb Anderson, Coppersmith
Ask many Arts and Crafts collectors and you’re likely to hear that one of their earliest discoveries was a piece of hand-hammered copper, from a simple letter opener made in an early manual arts class to a Roycroft circular tray or a Dirk van Erp table lamp.
For Jebb Anderson, a Minnesota-based coppersmith preparing for his second appearance as an exhibitor at the National Arts and Crafts Conference this month, it started with a lamp belonging to his father.
“As I was growing up, my father shared his passion for antique lighting with me, particularly that of the Arts and Crafts style. One day while admiring one of his favorite lamps, I thought it would be fun to try and make a lamp that resembled his out of what little copper I had laying around my father’s workshop.”
The desire to work with copper stuck with the young metalsmith, who began looking for help in learning the craft. “I learned most of the metal shaping techniques needed to produce Arts and Crafts style lighting from a close friend,” he explained, “and the 1914 book Art Metal with Inexpensive Equipment. After reading through the book, I began to collect more tools, hammers and forms that would continue to help me expand both my skills and my capabilities as a metalsmith.
“My favorite metal to work with,” he went on, “is definitely copper, because of its beauty and ease at which it moves after it has been softened. Copper is one of few metals that can be colored in an array of vibrant hues of greens, browns and reds. I have been greatly influenced by the work of coppersmith Dirk van Erp, and the metalsmiths employed by Gustav Stickley for their hand-wrought copperware, which displays the great skills and reliance on the craftsman and his hammer. I also admire the precision craftsmanship of the Roycroft artisans.”
“I truly enjoy bringing history to life by recreating what master metalsmiths had created for the first time over 100 years ago. I also enjoy creating and producing my own designs, still incorporating the elements of the Arts and Crafts design that I enjoy. My desire is to create objects that were not originally produced, but could have been during the first Arts and Crafts movement.”
Jebb also undertakes repair work, duplicating lost patinas and creating accurate reproductions for clients, as well as their custom designs and his own original designs. He has recently partnered with the Eastwood Gallery in St. Paul, Minnesota, where Brian Smith and Cameron Quintal handle his inquiries and orders, enabling Jebb to spend more time in his workshop.
Jebb will be taking time away from his shop, however, to exhibit his work and talk with collectors at the February 17-19 30th National Arts and Crafts Conference at the Grove Park Inn, where Eastwood Gallery will be exhibiting in the antiques show. For additional information on Jebb and his work, please contact the Eastwood Gallery at [email protected] or by calling (651) 695-1902.
