Creating the artwork for our Sugar Maple Fountain takes three intricate steps. When you think of hammering this pattern, think of Ginger Rogers to Fred Astair. Ginger had to do all the same steps only backwards and in high heels. I don't wear high heels when I hammer, but everything else is backwards, on the back side of the copper and hammering blind. And...you can't go back and unhammer something.

Step Two: To create the patina for the tree, buds, and earth, I apply a stinky sulfurous chemical that darkens the metal in seconds. You stand, poised with a spray bottle to stop the process and you have to be quick.

Step Three: Heat treating copper is...challenging. First you have to heat it from the back of the copper. Then you have to take into account that there's about a three-second delayed reaction. And, it's a little like giving an alley cat a bath. It's mission in life isn't to make it easy on you. The payoff, thank God...is when you prop the panel up against the barn and see how it came out. These fountains are really really pretty.

• Handmade