Shaping Metal (and Turnips) into Art

We’re collecting stories from freelancers around the country and sharing them with other members. Share your story and we might feature it on our site. Melina Hammer from New York, NY recently shared hers:

Melina Hammer is a Brooklyn-based artist who works as both a photographer and metalsmith.

As a producer of food and still life photography, her work has been featured in magazine editorials, book covers and in regional and national marketing campaigns for clients including Food Arts Magazine, Bloomsbury Publishers, Whole Foods Market, and San Pellegrino. For anyone needing compelling images to share with the world, her passion for beautiful, fresh, and sustainable foods propels her process: each image is completely natural food in an invitingly rustic environment, fresh and honest. In an interest to adhere to zero waste, staff and friends usually get the spoils from a day's work! See www.melinaphotos.com to view her portfolio.

Melina also creates wearable pieces in metal as commissions for clients across the United States and the world over—including private collections in Japan, Malta, Norway, Germany, and the United Kingdom. She often collaborates in the designs with her clients, and literally hammers out various organic and nuanced shapes to custom fit her patrons' unique tastes. She finds the physicality of this work—as well as the opportunity to produce something extraordinary that will last well beyond a lifetime—incredibly inspiring. Her work has also been featured in galleries on the east coast, including Philadelphia's Wexler Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution invitational auction. To view her online galleries and blog, visit www.melinahammer.com.

Melina feels fortunate to be able to explore these parallel creative lives, allowing each to nurture the other in her artistic process.