Andrew Frazier, of Cleveland, began his coppersmithing journey in 2012 as an apprentice at a handmade lighting company. He learned skills from master craftsmen such as sheet metal work. He learned metal spinning from someone who apprenticed under Terry Tynan, one of the most well-known metal spinners. In 2022 he set out on his own and learned hand hammering through online videos and hands on trial and error. Andrew has received numerous awards from various art festivals and shows around the Southeast including Follow Your Art and the Statesboro Festival of Art.
Coppersmithing is a shrinking tradition. This highly skilled craft involves a variety of processes including hand hammering vessels, forging copper wire into chains, soldering, using shears, brakes, and rollers, as well as metal spinning. Copper lighting, once common place, is now a luxury. Because of its durability, copper is a sustainable choice, particularly for outdoor applications. “Repairs are required occasionally. If no master coppersmiths are around to complete the repairs, then the sustainable advantage has disappeared,” Andrew explains. “Copper can be used for chimney caps, flashing, and gutters. Its durability contributes to a house lasting over 100 years. I am standing firm against a culture of disposable goods and helping to create heirloom quality items that can be bought today.” The history of copper is also intertwined with Cleveland and the Ocoee region of Tennessee. The Old Copper Road, also known as Highway 64, was built in the mid-1800s to connect the copper mines in Tennessee’s Copper Basin to the railroad terminus in Cleveland.
Andrew gained years of experience training apprentices from complete novice to competent journeymen while working at a lighting company. During the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program this year, he will teach his wife and business partner, Jellique Frazier the skills of the trade. Jellique has experience making smaller items such as garden mushrooms and jewelry and is eager to grow her skills and learn how to use a metal spinner as well as the traditional manner of hammering cups. Jellique states, “I would like to learn more from Andrew Frazier because I have had a front row seat in watching him work to create beautiful things out of copper. I love the functional and decorative aspects and want to develop my skills in the craft to bring more of my art into reality.” Andrew and Jelique travel throughout the Southeast to spread the word about traditional coppersmithing. Andrew explains, “We strive to bring sustainable hand crafted products back into style. We hear countless stories of how people’s grandparents worked with copper in various forms. Many people find a link to their roots through the work that we do.”
