Paul Yost & Jennah Litecky Yost

FireSmith Copper is a husband and wife team of artists who create original wall-hanging copper sculptures with free-hand craftsmanship. Raw sheet copper is prepared by hand using traditional metalworking tools to remove blemishes and create a pristine canvas. The color is drawn on the copper with only a torch, by hand, allowing each line of color to blend meticulously with the line of color laid before. We work with the seasons; the variation of temperature and humidity throughout the year determine the hues of color that we pull out of the copper with the torch. The hand is the most important aspect of the heat patina; allowing the artist to manipulate each line of color based on the previous mark. Once the color is laid, the design work is drawn free-hand on the copper with various hand tools. Each drawn line reveals the raw copper and exposes the original luminosity of the metal. All designs and color are put on the copper freehand, there are no stencils, lasers, guides, or computer controlled machines used on the copper. Finally, the copper is carefully fabricated around a handmade wooden frame, made by the artist, and coated for protection to preserve the image. The copper does not tarnish, patina, or change colors. Every single piece is an original, also, no two designs are identical and the process dictates that the designs cannot be replicated exactly.
Every design is inspired by our environment, travels, and our personal experiences, but most importantly, our shared experiences. Jennah grew up in Alaska, Paul in Northern California. The inspirations for our designs were rooted and have grown from our upbringings here in the Pacific Northwest. Our paths brought us separately to the midwest but inevitably found ourselves returning to the land that has always been our real home. Our home is in Oregon, but our travels have brought us around the world. We find that every piece of art we create reflects our international exposure while merging our love, inspiration, and appreciation for our home along the Pacific Coast into one original work of art. We strive to create each design as a personal story of our unique and extraordinary experiences, travels, and the desire of our expression. Each work is a reflection of these moments in our lives, a work that is completely unique to a specific moment in time, tempered by every experience of our shared, and individual, lives, and forged into one original work of art.
We strive to create works that speak to our audience and commissioned pieces allow our customers to choose a work of art that expresses their individuality. The satisfaction of expressing our ideas through copper and bringing beauty to any environment are the core values of our future endeavors.