UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 18, Page 3
February 4, 1993
Sophisticated tea service; Student transforms 'possibilities of metal' into art

     This year is off to a great start for art major Andrew Charles Czapka,
a metalsmithing student studying with Anne Graham, professor of art. His
pewter tea service will be on display through Feb. 20 in "Metal '93
Invitational: Master Metalsmiths and Proteges" at the Tower Fine Arts
Gallery of the State University of New York in Brockport.
     Graham, who also has her work on display in the exhibit, chose Czapka
for the show, which is dedicated to demonstrating the close ties between a
teacher/mentor and a student.
     Graham said she has a number of talented students but chose Czapka for
the exhibition because, "Although there are a number of people with talent,
Andrew also has that other ingredient-drive.
     That, combined with a positive attitude, is essential for success in
this field. You've got to believe in yourself, and you've got   to do
something. You can never give up."
     Czapka, 20, is a native of Wilmington. When he enrolled in the
University two years ago to study art, he hadn't really considered working
with metals. Studying with Graham changed his mind.
     "I took a couple courses in metals and I really enjoyed them," he
explained. "I like the possibilities that metals offer. After a while you
really get the feel of metal. You know when it can't move any more, when
pushing it a little bit too far will make it crack."
     Graham describes Czapka as a student who "always does more than is
required" and one who has the design vision that appeals to gallery owners.
     A bandolier he designed last year out of metal scraps and rubber parts
from the Newark railroad tracks won the award for outstanding design
concept and execution in the Department of Art's annual juried
undergraduate student exhibition. The award is especially prestigious
because it is open to any art student working in any medium.
     "A gallery owner might perceive this as conservative,"Graham said of
the bandolier, "whereas the commercial market is very different, at least
50 years behind the times. We are preparing our students for galleries, as
a way of earning a living. It's a sophisticated marketplace that calls for
designs of great quality. Andrew can meet the gallery audience. He is a
sophisticated maker for sophisticated buyers."
     His tea service, inspired by simple round bowls, started out as flat
pewter discs that Czapka raised and spun into bowl shapes after taking a
summer course in raising and spinning.
     He started with a few examples worked in copper and formulated his
design for the spouts on the creamer. He repeated the same basic shape for
each piece, making each progressively larger. Each article of the
three-piece service has three legs, and there are three rims on each lid.
     Parts of the service were turned on a lathe and the feet were cast by
pouring molten metal.
     The service will appeal to gallery owners, Graham said, because "it is
a unified body of work, consistent in design and has a look of
craftsmanship to it."
     It could sell in a gallery, she said, for $1,000-$3,000. As Czapka
continues to work toward his BFA, he said he will continue to work in
metals and pursue all their possibilities.
     "With metals, there are so many things you can do, so many ways you
can go. There's a very valid marketplace out there. The metal itself has
value, and so does the work, " he said.
                                        -Beth Thomas