Frog Bowl - Holding Place

Materials: Silver, Brass
Dimensions: 7" dia. x 7" tall

Brass bowl with man-in-the-moon semi-inverted inside.

Photo credit: Steve Shelby

Steve Shelby
South Whitley, IN. USA

I am a metal artist working in brass, copper, bronze, and silver. Everything I make starts out as flat sheet and is manipulated into three-dimensional form using hammers and stakes. Preferring to make the themes in my work timeless and universal, rather than topical, I like to think that someone hundreds of years from now could still appreciate my pieces, and I use materials durable enough that they could easily last that long.

I am a 1972 graduate of Ball State University, with a bachelor’s degree in art, specializing in jewelry and metalsmithing.I spent 23 years as a skilled metal craftsman employed by Fox Products Corp. of South Whitley, IN. Currently, most of my labors go into sculptural urns for Custompeturns dot com, and small sculptures and ornaments sold through Artful Home. The rest of my time is spent making one-of-a-kind pieces for display in exhibitions.


These containers and vessels definitely hold their place in the world of stunning art objects as well as in the world of metalsmithing.

Since the dawn of time humans have created containers to hold things that were important to them, from large vessels to hold food and harvests to intimate containers for small precious things. They might hold memories, ashes, medicine, beverage, fruit or food - but all spring from the imagination and skill of the maker. Some have specific religious functions, some are meant for everyday use. When one thinks of a vessel or container the inclination is to think of something with solid walls - yet many of these works involve the exploration of positive and negative space, and the use of negative space to help create the illusion of the wall of the vessel.

As the world’s largest jewelry related internet site, Ganoksin strives to develop exhibitions showcasing work from around the world. This exhibition was open to all metalsmiths, professional and amateur, advanced and beginner. Participants are from The Netherlands, the USA, Canada, Australia, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, Israel, Hong Kong, Colombia, Romania, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia and Denmark. While most of the pieces are by an individual metalsmith, some are collaborations, one of three artists spanning 50 years.

In total 319 artists contributed 729 show pieces for the permanent online exhibition.

Objects in the exhibition include boxes, lockets, urns, ash containers, bowls, wine cups, reliquaries, match holders, vases, teapots, pitchers, sugar bowls, baskets, nests, pillboxes, clutches and a range of sculptural forms. A variety of techniques are showcased covering a wide range of metalsmithing techniques. Materials used include everything from gold and silver to less expensive metals. Ornamentation includes the addition of enamel, chasing and repousse’, gemstones and found objects.

The exhibition was curated by Beth Wicker, President of the North Carolina Society of Goldsmiths in the United States, and Adjunct Instructor at Northeastern Technical College in South Carolina. Director of the exhibition is Hanuman Aspler, founder of The Ganoksin Project, the world’s largest internet jewelry site.

Materials: Silver, Brass
Dimensions: 7" dia. x 7" tall

Brass bowl with man-in-the-moon semi-inverted inside.

Photo credit: Steve Shelby

Steve Shelby
South Whitley, IN. USA

I am a metal artist working in brass, copper, bronze, and silver. Everything I make starts out as flat sheet and is manipulated into three-dimensional form using hammers and stakes. Preferring to make the themes in my work timeless and universal, rather than topical, I like to think that someone hundreds of years from now could still appreciate my pieces, and I use materials durable enough that they could easily last that long.

I am a 1972 graduate of Ball State University, with a bachelor’s degree in art, specializing in jewelry and metalsmithing.I spent 23 years as a skilled metal craftsman employed by Fox Products Corp. of South Whitley, IN. Currently, most of my labors go into sculptural urns for Custompeturns dot com, and small sculptures and ornaments sold through Artful Home. The rest of my time is spent making one-of-a-kind pieces for display in exhibitions.


These containers and vessels definitely hold their place in the world of stunning art objects as well as in the world of metalsmithing.

Since the dawn of time humans have created containers to hold things that were important to them, from large vessels to hold food and harvests to intimate containers for small precious things. They might hold memories, ashes, medicine, beverage, fruit or food - but all spring from the imagination and skill of the maker. Some have specific religious functions, some are meant for everyday use. When one thinks of a vessel or container the inclination is to think of something with solid walls - yet many of these works involve the exploration of positive and negative space, and the use of negative space to help create the illusion of the wall of the vessel.

As the world’s largest jewelry related internet site, Ganoksin strives to develop exhibitions showcasing work from around the world. This exhibition was open to all metalsmiths, professional and amateur, advanced and beginner. Participants are from The Netherlands, the USA, Canada, Australia, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, Israel, Hong Kong, Colombia, Romania, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia and Denmark. While most of the pieces are by an individual metalsmith, some are collaborations, one of three artists spanning 50 years.

In total 319 artists contributed 729 show pieces for the permanent online exhibition.

Objects in the exhibition include boxes, lockets, urns, ash containers, bowls, wine cups, reliquaries, match holders, vases, teapots, pitchers, sugar bowls, baskets, nests, pillboxes, clutches and a range of sculptural forms. A variety of techniques are showcased covering a wide range of metalsmithing techniques. Materials used include everything from gold and silver to less expensive metals. Ornamentation includes the addition of enamel, chasing and repousse’, gemstones and found objects.

The exhibition was curated by Beth Wicker, President of the North Carolina Society of Goldsmiths in the United States, and Adjunct Instructor at Northeastern Technical College in South Carolina. Director of the exhibition is Hanuman Aspler, founder of The Ganoksin Project, the world’s largest internet jewelry site.

Materials: Silver, Brass
Dimensions: 7" dia. x 7" tall

Brass bowl with man-in-the-moon semi-inverted inside.

Photo credit: Steve Shelby

Steve Shelby
South Whitley, IN. USA

I am a metal artist working in brass, copper, bronze, and silver. Everything I make starts out as flat sheet and is manipulated into three-dimensional form using hammers and stakes. Preferring to make the themes in my work timeless and universal, rather than topical, I like to think that someone hundreds of years from now could still appreciate my pieces, and I use materials durable enough that they could easily last that long.

I am a 1972 graduate of Ball State University, with a bachelor’s degree in art, specializing in jewelry and metalsmithing.I spent 23 years as a skilled metal craftsman employed by Fox Products Corp. of South Whitley, IN. Currently, most of my labors go into sculptural urns for Custompeturns dot com, and small sculptures and ornaments sold through Artful Home. The rest of my time is spent making one-of-a-kind pieces for display in exhibitions.


These containers and vessels definitely hold their place in the world of stunning art objects as well as in the world of metalsmithing.

Since the dawn of time humans have created containers to hold things that were important to them, from large vessels to hold food and harvests to intimate containers for small precious things. They might hold memories, ashes, medicine, beverage, fruit or food - but all spring from the imagination and skill of the maker. Some have specific religious functions, some are meant for everyday use. When one thinks of a vessel or container the inclination is to think of something with solid walls - yet many of these works involve the exploration of positive and negative space, and the use of negative space to help create the illusion of the wall of the vessel.

As the world’s largest jewelry related internet site, Ganoksin strives to develop exhibitions showcasing work from around the world. This exhibition was open to all metalsmiths, professional and amateur, advanced and beginner. Participants are from The Netherlands, the USA, Canada, Australia, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, Israel, Hong Kong, Colombia, Romania, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia and Denmark. While most of the pieces are by an individual metalsmith, some are collaborations, one of three artists spanning 50 years.

In total 319 artists contributed 729 show pieces for the permanent online exhibition.

Objects in the exhibition include boxes, lockets, urns, ash containers, bowls, wine cups, reliquaries, match holders, vases, teapots, pitchers, sugar bowls, baskets, nests, pillboxes, clutches and a range of sculptural forms. A variety of techniques are showcased covering a wide range of metalsmithing techniques. Materials used include everything from gold and silver to less expensive metals. Ornamentation includes the addition of enamel, chasing and repousse’, gemstones and found objects.

The exhibition was curated by Beth Wicker, President of the North Carolina Society of Goldsmiths in the United States, and Adjunct Instructor at Northeastern Technical College in South Carolina. Director of the exhibition is Hanuman Aspler, founder of The Ganoksin Project, the world’s largest internet jewelry site.