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In Pursuit of Enameling
About this time last year, I decided to invest in a kiln. Enamel work is beautiful and versatile. I took a risk and made a purchase before my skill justified it.
Time feels funny this year. It’s ten years since I officially began as a business, but it’s not the year to celebrate. I was fortunate to have just had almost one full work week. With the luxury of that time, I pursued two goals. One was to figure out the etsy shop, where there are nearly 100 distinct pieces now available! The other was to play with and learn from enameling.
I’ve always wanted to learn cloisonné. So I did with help from an online tutorial offered through Rio Grande by Ricky Frank. Cloisonné is metalworking meets painting meets enamel. It’s a technique I expect to make a regular part of metalledwith!
Then there’s the question of what happens when you combine piercing with a jeweler’s saw blade and enamel. I attempted a matte finish on this ornate design. I also wanted to play with opaque colors side by side and made these bracelets to celebrate my favorite little people and their fifth birthday.
Next, I’ve heard of graphite on enamel before. I wonder what that’s like. So I did a quick experiment.
While there are surely additional techniques and corrections to be made to my process, immersing myself into learning about this world was a welcome distraction to the difficulty in finding a teacher in a time like this. Better yet, I’m equipped to teach enameling classes in the studio and at CALC when it feels safe to do so. Enjoy enamel work? Check out Pennsylvania’s own Paula Lewis and Jenn Bell.