This work of art would be categorized as a shallow relief. It is somewhere between a painting and a sculpture. In metalsmithing terms, I fabricated this using three sheets of metal. Kaylea and I were made out of copper; the ether cloud that connects us was made of brass; and the background is an etched sheet of nickel. This project I left unsealed, so the colors have dramatically faded and changed (I took this photograph 9 years after I initially made the piece). I was interested in this contradiction of intentionally making my metal artwork designed to change over time. This was in stark contrast to my drawing and painting practice, where my goal is to make it fight the elements and last as long as possible.

On the copper, I did a technique called annealing, which is where you superheat the metal, and beautiful wheat, reds, and purples emerge. This is a particular patina called firescale. I then used a liquid ammonia on particular sections of the copper to help separate the materials of fabric and hair from skin.

The sheet of brass I had polished, and at the time it was a very light and bright color. It has darkened much since then.

On the nickel background, I had etched in a pattern of stars where the stars remained raised, and the part that would be the dark night of the sky was deeper. I had used a liquid patina that we had at the school specific for nickel.