SWAIA ARTIST Profile

Gary Custer

Name
Gary Custer
Tribe
Navajo Nation
Main Classification
Jewelry
Classification #2
Classification #3

SWAIA Booth History

SFIM25
PAL S 236
WIM24
86
SFIM24
PAL S 236

SWAIA Highlight History

Featured in 2024
Read Here

2024 Award History

N/A
Portfolio Example & Artist Statement
Gary Custer

Long ago, I learned the technique of the traditional way of casting silver. My parents made cast silver as I learned watching and helping them. Thereafter, I took on the process of carving tufa stone, casting out of the molds. Later on, I learned to do the sandcasting, which is the same technique as tufa casing, but it can be used to make additions of the same image or sample. After that, the deburring, filing, grinding, bending, and polishing of the piecework is done. Findings and the lapidary work is done aside of the cast pieces, to finish the silverwork.Tufa stone is a compressed volcanic ash material that is found on the Navajo reservation.the Tufa stone is then carbonized with a torch and the tow halves are bound together with rubbers. the silver is melted and poured into the tufa mold.Sand cast is hand packed with sand in a frame, gravity feed feed silver poured in the channel.

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