This unique table (signed PE 69) combines two of Evans’ techniques, Forged Steel and Sculpted Bronze with the undulating patterns made popular with his Wavy cabinets. The playful imagery, which is repeated throughout Evan’s Argente works, exemplifies his unique aesthetic and penchant for unconventional artistry. Evans employed an innovative application of epoxy and bronze over wood and steel frames to create unusual pieces that are as much works of art as they are functional objects.The process gave his works the look of cast bronze while enabling them to retain their lightness, expanding the freedom of design and possibilities of production.
According to Constance Kimmerle (curator of Paul Evans Crossing Boundaries and Crafting Modernism at the James A. Michener Museum and subsequently, the Cranbrook Art Museum), “the Sculpted Bronze technique combined traditional craft with innovative techniques and materials as well as spontaneous free expression. This experimental technique involved applying epoxy resin over the plywood base; the resin was then sculpted in a freehand form, sandblasted, and coated with sprayed melted atomized bronze.” This exact technique, inspired by the technique used to repair the hulls of ships in the Philadelphia shipyards, has not been replicated since.