Beate Leonards

Silversmith

©Beate Leonards

Balanced forms

Beate has a a lot of experience working with tombac
She spent three years as an apprentice in Copenhagen
The aesthetics of her pieces are influenced by functionality

Beate Leonards has always enjoyed working with her hands. In her youth, she had the opportunity to intern with a craft duo where she learned about the work of a ceramicist as well a silversmith. “I find metal more intriguing than clay because it does not deform easily, which makes processing much slower. Strength, as well as plans and technical solutions, are also key.” As a result of her internship, Beate began her training in silversmithing at the Zeichenakademie Hanau, and then went to Copenhagen for work experience and later studied at the art academy in Nuremberg for another six years. Among the few art academies in Europe at the time, the academy offered a silversmithing course just for silver utensils. After all these experiences, she had found her powerful aesthetic, characterised by harmoniously balanced forms, simplicity and good functionality, and she felt ready to open her own workshop.

Interview

©Beate Leonards

©Beate Leonards

What is a memorable moment in your professional life?: Opening my own workshop after completing my studies. I just rented a room and set up the workshop to see what would happen. It didn't take a lot of thought for me and I just produced what I felt like doing. This was a truly memorable time for me.
Can you tell us a bit about your time in Denmark?: I spent three years in Denmark after completing my education. That was in the early 1990s. I found the Danish silversmith scene very interesting. As opposed to the strong geometric shapes popular among German silversmiths at that time, many Danish craftsmen created organic shapes instead. Among those was Allan Scharff, whom I was fortunate to work for in Copenhagen.
Do you master any specific techniques?: I have a lot of experience working with tombac. It is an alloy of 85 percent copper and 15 percent zink. The patination with a sulfur compound gives me a particularly beautiful surface by using this material. When the sulfur compound is applied, the material turns dark brown, allowing the metal to shine through. To get the effect I am satisfied with, I spent a lot of time experimenting.
What are your sources of inspiration?: Since I design objects for our everyday use, the purpose of an item is a good guide and inspiration for me. Although my objects have a sculptural quality, they are always very functional. If I'm designing a vase that can stand alone, I want the proportions to be such that it also looks good decorated with flowers.

Beate Leonards is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1987