Spring 2001
Glass on Glass Enamelling at Its Extreme
by Diana East
Glass enamel on glass is a huge subject. Within this area I have mainly worked in the miniature world of wearable glass: jewellery and glass beads. Larger work has been course led or experimental. I find that the exciting possibilities of using a canvas with properties allowing the passage of light, as well as opacity or reflectivity, outweigh the technical difficulties. Even within the miniature world of the glass bead there are many techniques and types of glass with different properties. I will describe the flame work method with soda glass which is the technique and material used for this ‘Mosque Bead’ example. I like to work with Venetian ‘Effetre’ glass, which is supplied in the form of coloured rods. The torch I use is the Nortel Minor Burner which is surface mixing oxy propane. It allows enough flow of oxygen to melt the glass with no reduction, though reduction can be an advantage and is easily achieved by turning the oxygen down. The torch is bench mounted so that both hands are free to hold and manipulate the piece. This can feel like having to draw by moving the paper under a static pen. To make the body of the bead, the glass rod is melted in the flame and wrapped around a mandrel which forms the hole. The mandrel is a stainless steel rod dipped in a separating agent to allow for removal when the bead is finished and cooled. The glass is kept hot and shaped and decorated, after which it is
Secretary Lindsay Hemmens 14 Rownham Mead Bristol BS8 4YA 0117 929 3620 email:plhemmens@cableinet.co.uk
Mosque Bead by Diana East Enamel on soda glass with dichroic glass and gold fuming 33mm high
Membership Secretary Tina Cartledge Limefield 2 Chandag Road Keynsham, Bristol BS31 1NR 0117 986 8535 Email: info@limefield.com
Editor Pat Johnson 51 Webbs Road London SW11 6RX 020 7228 0011 email: pat.johnson@enamel.demon.co.uk
placed in an annealing oven kept about 520ºC. This removes any stress in the bead. The time in the oven varies according to the size and thickness of the piece. The oven is then ramped very slowly down to room temperature over about twelve hours so as not to re stress or crack the bead. If subsequent firing were required, the bead would have to be ramped up first over a similar period, so it is advisable to finish each piece in one operation if possible. Scale is an issue with flameworking as it is very difficult to keep a larger object at the required temperature all over with such a focussed heat source. Some perseverance is required to reach a level of control over the hot glass, entailing many hours of practice, but once attained it is then possible to apply a myriad of decorative techniques. One of these might be the application of enamel powders in a number of varied ways. I use Thompson Enamels TE9000 range, which has been formulated for use on Effetre glass but also seems to fit on Plowden and Thompson glass. It is available from Thompson Enamels in the USA and comes in thirty-two opaque colours. The ‘Mosque Bead’ is loosely based on a watercolour of ‘Old Cairo’ by Tiffany. In its first stages, the bead is comprised of transparent coloured glass with some flat dichroic glass in certain areas. Dichoric glass is vacuum coated with titanium oxide crystals to look iridescent. Available in different colours and even patterns, it has to fit the type of glass being used in terms of expansion. For flamework dichroic glass is especially made to withstand the fierceness of the flame, although it is still important that the flame doesn’t touch the coated side.
Indian Flower Bead by Diana East ‘Effete glass’, enamel and silver foil 29mm long
In this Indian Flower bead, the raised red petal pattern is made of enamel. The basic form of the bead is hollow. Working with an open flame, Diana East winds ‘Effetre glass’ around a mandrel so that two cup shapes are produced. The lips of the cups are brought together to produce the hollow bead. The red enamel is then sprinkled on the surface of the bead, as described in the main text of Diana East’s article. Strands of coloured glass, twisted together to make ‘stringers’ are applied around the ends of the beads. The central features of radiating glass stripes with a very small clear glass bead in the centre are produced from intricately manipulated glass rods and silver foil which are then fused on to the enamel surface. Once all the components have been assembled, the petal design is painted on with wood glue which also covers the applied decorations. With these areas now protected, the bead is sandblasted to cut through the enamel down to the glass underneath, leaving the enamel on the petal shapes and all other protected features untouched.
This bead is actually made from Plowden and Thompson 100 COE (Coefficient Of Expansion) soda glass as this is the only range I know of with the particular transparent salmon colour. The dichroic glass is Spectrum 96 COE, coated by Sandburgs in the USA, which is just about within the possible tolerance of 4 points but needs careful annealing.
The technique is to put the enamel powder into a small sieve and sprinkle it onto the hot bead out of the flame. If the bead is hot enough to be sticky on the surface the enamel will adhere to it. (It is only possible to paint the enamel onto the bead with gum if the whole thing is cooled and then brought back up to temperature.) The attached enamel grains are then carefully smoothed in the flame, avoiding boiling When shaped and whilst still hot the bead is coated with too much direct heat. This all takes seconds. The with three graduated layers of the coloured enamel. next layer is applied in the same way and so on. The 2
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News Page Exhibition Opportunity in Spain Short Courses at London Guildhall University The Fourth International Exhibition organised by the Spanish enamelling association CIDAE is entitled "World of Enamelling". It will be held in Salou, Spain, from 15 June to 15 July 2001. The theme of the exhibition is "The Box". Any shape and size of box will be allowed, with the enamelled surface (copper, silver, etc) to be at least 50% of the total piece. All techniques are admitted. The enrolment forms must be returned before 1 May, accompanied by a cheque for $35 (US). The work should arrive at Salou between 15th May and 1st of June. Further details and the enrolment form can be obtained from the editor or by emailing Nuria Ribalta at <cidaes@suport.org>.
The schedule of short courses run over the Easter period at LGU include a Vitreous Enamel Workshop taught by Joan MacKarel and a Champlevé Enamel Workshop course taught by Phil Barnes. Both last for four days and take place the week of April 2, 2001. For further information and booking, contact Central House, London Guildhall University, 59/63 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7PF. Tel. 020 7320 1926. Later in the spring the brochure for the extended summer programme at LGU will be available. An ‘International Enamel Event’ involving Jane Short, Robert Ebbendorf, Deborah Lozier, and Elizabeth Turrell, is included in the advance announcement. To receive further information about the summer programme and other future short courses, call Alan Craxford, 020 7320 1926.
Competition Results
Enameller Honoured
The 14th Cloisonne Jewelry Contest, organized by The Japan Shippo Conference and sponsored by The Mainichi Newspaper, was successfully held at the La Pola Gallery, in Ginza, Tokyo, from 23rd to 27th January, 2001.
Fred Rich received first prize in the enamelling section of the 2001 Craftsmanship and Design Awards, the annual competition staged by Goldsmiths Craft and Design Council. He also was awarded the Jacques Cartier Memorial Award for outstanding craftsmanship, the second time that Fred has received this distinction.
There were 142 works by 72 Artists from 10 Countries including Japan. It is worth mentioning that the jurors were unanimous in their conclusion that the level of artistic expression this year was the highest throughout The Bilston Craft Gallery exhibition ‘Fusion’ will show both its Bilston Enamel Collection and a selection of the the history of the contest. best British contemporary enamellers. Members of the BSOE, including Elizabeth Turrell, Ann Gover, and Pat The web site of The Japan Shippo Conference is : <http://village.infoweb.ne.jp/~shippo/>. It has just been Johnson, will be among those represented. ‘Alloy Touring’, a jewellery show, will run alongside the enamel updated to include a page on Award Winning Works. exhibition. Taking place from April 11 - June 29, 2001, the address is Bilston Craft Gallery, Mount Pleasant, Bilston, Wolverhampton, WV1 7LU. Opening times Tues-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 11am-4pm. Tel. 01902 552507
Exhibitions To Visit
Member’s News
The exhibition "Fired With Colour - Aspects of Enamelling" has been featured in a news item in Crafts No. 168 January/February 2001. Stating that 'the art of enamelling is undergoing a small but significant Renaissance’, the article mentions Jane Short and Maureen Edgar as having 'revitalised functional objects, revelling in colour and illustrative potential'. The exhibition can currently be seen at Royal Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh (0131 225 7534) until 29 April. Irene Cockcroft will be writing a review of "Fired With Colour" for the next newsletter.
Joan MacKarell was invited by the trustees of the Gilbert Collection at Somerset House to make an enamelled box based on the boxes in the Gilbert Collection itself. Commissioned to celebrate the opening of Somerset House in London, the piece has been on display in the shop since then. The engine-turned silver box is 4“ x 3” and has an abstract tracery enamel design applied to the lid. There is also a large marquise-cut amethyst set in the centre of the enamel. 3
Panels for the High Seas Evangeline Long reports on her latest cruise ship commission
Evangeline Longâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s panels going into the kiln 1175mm x 750mm Jewellery enamel on steel
Last August I was approached by London Contemporary Arts (LCA) and commissioned to make six panels for the bathrooms in the owners' suites in the "Radiance of the Seas", a new ship of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. It was initially proposed that they be enamelled on copper. For some time I had been hoping for an opportunity to test the large scale enamelling facilities available at Escol Panels in Wellingborough, Northants. Pat Johnson stated in the Autumn 2000 newsletter that worldwide it is difficult to find facilities for large scale enamelling. I felt fortunate therefore that Escol Panels (S+G) Ltd were a forty-minute drive from home.
ing which accommodates all the operations - cutting and forming, chemical cleaning, spraying and firing, and packing for dispatch worldwide. They manufacture ingredients for their enamels at another site but mix the required colours at Wellingborough. The company has assisted a number of artists in the production of one-off panels in steel, using screenprinting, hand printing, or spray methods, but until my visit they had never fired copper panels or seen powdered jewellery enamels used.
I had been shown round the factory nearly a year ago and had discussed the possibility of hiring space or working at home and bringing the panels to the factory Escol Panels specialises in the manufacture of vitreous by car to be fired in their kiln. enamelled steel cladding panels for architectural application. In addition, their factory space incorporates a The LCA commissioning agent liked my work on copgraphics department for signs and decorative panels. per and I was given a free hand in the designing of the Production takes place within a generously sized build- panels, with the suggestion that shell images be incor4
porated and that all six could be variations on the same design. The size had to be precise so that they could be accommodated within wall recesses. The panels were to have frames (the preference of the ship's interior designer) and I received information regarding the colour scheme of the suites and the details of the bathroom surfaces. I was also given a weight restriction. Deadline for the completion was the end of October. Three months might sound generous but much initial planning has to be undertaken for large commissions. Time is spent on test firings, making designs on paper and full-scale drawings, meetings, getting approval by designers and architects, and obtaining purchase orders from the shipping line. Not least there is costing, which involves consulting metal and enamel suppliers and calculating the number of firings, as firing is priced by the kiln load.
panel fell off its hooks in the kiln and had to be remade which caused, I later learned, another delay.) It was early October before the panels were ready for me to work on. As I was already committed to a week's walking in the Algarve in the middle of the month, I was left with only 15 days to complete the commission. I spent eight hours a day working in an area set aside for me at Escol and used mostly Latham enamels, mainly blues and yellows, both transparent and opaque. I had prepared a number of card stencils which I used on areas where certain repetition of motif was required. The surface of the panel was sprayed with a dilute wallpaper paste gum and after the gum was dry, I tooled and sgraffitoed the unfired enamel surface extensively, removing about two thirds of the enamel in order to obtain a richly textured effect, close to some of my work on copper. Three firings at 770ºC were required, with all six panels fitting neatly into one kiln load. An additional coat of counter-enamel was needed to keep the panels flat. The factory was in the midst of manufacturing 4,000 blue cladding panels for a shopping mall in Iceland, so my panels have a wonderful sapphire blue reverse.
I finally commenced large scale tests at the factory in early September, applying enamel to two sample sheets of copper of different thickness. I worked at home and did the firing in Escol's kiln. I should point out that my previous experience of enamelling took place at Burnham Signs, where work entered the kiln horizontally at a high temperature and was removed about two and a half minutes later. The kiln at Escol is an upright model, heated by gas and electricity, with doors at both ends and an overhead rail system to convey panels through the process of firing. Firstly the panels pass into a warming chamber, where they are heated to 300ºC, and then they move into the kiln proper where the heat rises to the required temperature over a period of about seven and a half minutes. I have a preference for high firing, upwards of 800ºC. However the 'slow cooking' method of firing at Escol resulted in the two test pieces coming out like burnt toast! I drove these home in disgust, trying not to look, and then took a knife, file and hosepipe to them to prize off the charred enamel. After applying more colour, I returned to Escol the next day for a second firing at a lower temperature. This was a little more successful, with some beguiling effects appearing as the enamel began to run down the surface! However I felt uneasy about these unexpected and risky problems, certain that all was going to fail and aware that I was running short of time. I was also not convinced that I could carry out, in copper, panels which would not bend or buckle and still stay under the weight limit. I made further tests at home, using powdered jewellery enamel on steel, called a meeting with the commissioning agent at which I outlined my difficulties so far and sought permission to work on steel. This was granted, with the proviso that I keep as close as possible to the effects obtained on copper.
The experience of working at Escol Panels was very satisfying. Negotiations regarding my stay at the factory were made through the Business Development Executive, and day-to-day requirements on site were well arranged with the Production Controller. Firing staff couldn't have been more helpful. My feelings regarding the commission (which did get finished on time) are ambivalent; working on steel while trying to obtain the effect of enamel on copper was a compromise. Sometime in the future I hope to return to Escol to carry out further work on copper, to prove that it can be done.
I now had to wait for Escol to make the six flanged panels, each 1175mm wide by 750mm high. Before they came to me the panels had to be gripcoated, fired, sprayed with a white basecoat and fired again. (One
Detail of a seashell from Evangeline Long’s panels for the cruise ship Radiance of the Seas.
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Report of the Executive Committee Meeting Held on 17 February, 2001 The meeting, held at Tina Cartledge’s house in Bristol, was a lively event with plenty of discussion. It was well attended by the following members of the committee: Ian Robertson, Jessica Turrell, Lindsay Hemmens, Tina Cartledge, Pat Schelper Jones, Pat Johnson, and Annie Appleyard.
events. There was also some discussion about whether the criteria for selection for full membership to the Society should be reviewed. It was agreed that the existing statement continues to fulfil its role in guiding selection. It reads as follows: “Full membership for professional enamellers resident in Britain is by selection with strong emphasis on original design in conjunction with an understanding of and technical competence in enamel as a medium using the qualities unique to enamel”.
Much of the time was spent finalising the details for the AGM to be held on March 31 at the V&A. It was decided that this year the bulk of the meeting should be given over to members talking with and getting to know each other as well as taking part in discussions as a group. It was further agreed that members would be asked to bring along either a piece of work or photographs of their enamels, labelled with their names. This will be displayed on a table to encourage informal conversations about enamelling concerns.
Over the months that the committee has been meeting there has been an ongoing discussion as to whether the Associate Members receive good value for their £25 fee. There will be some discussion at the AGM about the current aims and purposes of the Society. The exhibition at Sutton College will proceed, provisionally at the beginning of October. This will be a quite different event to the Woodstock exhibition, scheduled for September 2002, and is intended to be both fun and educational. Members will be given full details as soon as they are finalised.
A proposal for discussion at the AGM, sent in by a member, received an enthusiastic response. This was a request for workshop/studio visits where small groups can meet to exchange ideas about work in progress, problems, and solutions. It was felt that the best way forward would be to appoint one person, a ‘social secretary’, from the committee to co-ordinate these
Annie Appleyard
Enamelling on Lava by Andreu Vilasís, translated by Gina Barta The practice of enamelling on lava (matter brought to the surface of the earth by volcanic eruptions) was developed in the nineteenth century. It was in 1827 that the Frenchman Morteleque, considering the durability of the material and its resistance to the elements, hit upon the idea of enamelling this material. Considering that in glazing ceramics the earth is effectively enamelled, then applying glass to lava should also be possible. In the Victorian era, enamelled lava easily overcame the shortcomings experienced with other materials used for murals and the decoration of the facades of churches. Unlike paint on fresco, which is vulnerable to cold temperatures, to the oil and wax from burning lamps and candles, to atmospheric inclemency and that produced by time and human nature, this new process was virtually indestructible. In short, it could have been substituted for or superceded the techniques of fresco paintings and even mosaics.
excessively with the gray facades of the churches that were mainly the buildings for which these works were destined. For the sensibilities of the mentors of the day, this glistening result was a product of poor taste. Conceptually, it was an 'immodesty' in regard to the religious act. As a result the technique of enamelling on lava was gradually forgotten and is almost lost to this day.
This attainment was certainly a success on a technical level but the visual impact was not to the taste of the people at that time. Vitrified enamels resulted in a splendor of colours and a vivacity of lights, but these clashed
This article first appeared in the March issue, No. 41, of L'Esmalt, a periodical produced by the Centre d'Informació i Difusió de Art de l'Esmalt. (www.all-sa.com/Publiccaciones.htm). It was subsequently translated and published in the Fall 2000 issue of The Enamellist, the newsletter of Canadian Enamellist Association.
The French artist, Jolivet (1803-1871) created, after many years of toil, an enamelled lava bell for the church of Saint Vincente of Paul of Paris. This extraordinary work had to be retired in 1861 because of ferocious criticism by the priests and parishioners. Kept in warehouses for more than 138 years, it appeared with other works in an exhibition of 'Laves emailles' at the Museum of the Vie Romantique in Paris in 1999.
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A Good Cracking Yarn A Report from Jane Short’s Workshop The year 2000 was a very good year for me, with lots of publicity for my recently completed commissions, an exhibition at the Oxford Gallery, and a grant from South East Arts to make some more experimental larger pieces of work. I had just one job to do for Clive Burr before I could start a much longed for period of experimentation. Clive’s piece of enamel was to be an engraved and enamelled circular plate of 22cm diameter, which was to be set in a much larger silver dish. Having already done a virtually identical piece previously I thought I knew what I was taking on - about three weeks of engraving and a few days enamelling. Hard work, but no problem. Little did I realise.....
ing, and I was pretty sure that that was caused by faulty metal. This, however, seemed a very different problem. A call to Maureen Edgar confirmed that she had also had a problem with enamel cracking off which she was sure was due to faulty metal. But in my case, as the counter enamel was sticking like glue, I couldn’t make sense of it. I made a list of everything that was different about the current piece to the successfully enamelled one. They were as follows: This piece had larger areas of plain flux, fewer colours, and a little extra basse taille detail; it has a stepped rim of silver of about 15mm instead of a simple rim of 6mm; both were spun, but the first was annealed during spinning and second was not. Everything else was the same, except that it was another piece of metal although from the same source as the first.
Several weeks later, having completed the engraving, I began enamelling. One layer of flux was fired and a second layer put on. When the second firing was completed I left the piece to cool down and went to get my boys from school. Later that evening I went to have a look at it and it seemed fine, but when it was picked up a small piece of enamel came off a carved area. Having not put any counter enamel on at that point I thought that I had better do so.
Next came a call to Phil Barnes to talk through the problem. Phil speculated that the piece’s not being annealed before enamelling could cause a problem,
A good layer of counter enamel went on, and a bit more enamel on the front. Another firing, which was cooled down slowly, and everything was fine - until I picked the piece up and bang! A much larger area of flux (JG139) came off with loud cracking and the scattering of enamel fragments. I often put the counter enamel on second or even third firing with no adverse effect, so I was surprised that the enamel was still coming off after counter enamelling and so much more this time. Still, enamellers are quite persistent. I replaced the missing enamel, put more counter enamel on, and fired it again. This time all was well until I put the piece under water to clean it before laying more enamel, when the enamel started to fling itself off with much noise, not from the same place but from another area completely. Now I was getting worried, but still gave it three more firings until I had chased the cracking area full circle back to where it had flaked. At any one time at least 40% of the enamel was coming off. By this time both the enamel and myself were looking very tired and sad, and I tried to think of the possible reasons that the enamel would not stay put. My instinct was that there was some inherent problem of tension as the enamel was cracking off with such force. I had the experience earlier in the year of a spun bowl gently, after its first firing, shedding its layer of enamel like a skin, with slightly strange colours appear-
Detail from the bowl with central plaque by Jane Short similar to the piece described in this article. The plaque is silver and enamel with diamonds in the middle. 22cm in diameter
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came off. It was as if the tension in the piece had been released and the rest of the enamel was happy to stick. This made me think that Phil’s suggestion could work.
but he did not think that the stepped rim was creating tension by restricting the expansion and contraction of the metal, which I had wondered about. As I was about to go off on holiday Clive and I decided to ask Phil to strip the enamel so that the metal could be annealed, ready and waiting for me to re-enamel on my return. Which is what we did. However this time, after the third firing, the enamel started reacting in exactly in the same way. Despite applying the counter enamel from the start and despite the annealing, it was flinging itself off again!
In order to check that the engraving would look OK after being softened off, I decided to do a test on another spare piece of the same silver, also using some softer, less ‘chippy’ enamels than JG139, just in case. The test same was fired, cooled down, and looked fine. But after the second firing I picked it up and the enamel started flinging itself off. I then made two more tests, one using more of the same silver and one using some that had been lying about for ages. Both pieces were engraved over half the surface and then enamelled over the entire surface with JG139. The enamel flew off only from the engraved area of the now suspect metal but had happily stuck fast to the other piece of identically engraved silver. This made me feel slightly better as I realised that this silver would not enamel at all on an engraved surface, no matter what I did. The problem was not due to a lack of skill on my part but rather to some inherent and subtle difference in either the make-up or structure of the metal.
When I contacted Clive to tell him the bad news, he told me that the metal manufacturers admitted that they had had a ‘problem batch’ of metal from which our piece may have come, that they would replace the silver, but could I please test a sample before re-making the whole thing. Which I duly did. The surface of the metal was scratched with a scribe, nitric acid dipped, and lots of enamel fired on the front without any counter enamel. It stayed put, so I began re-engraving a second blank of metal, thinking that lightning would not strike twice.
Goldsmiths Hall’s technical department had become involved in trying to find out if there was any problem with the metal and initially had not been able to find anything untoward in the silver. As I was by now convinced convinced that our problem did lay with the silver, I found it hard to accept some of their speculations, especially that the kiln may be damp and somehow putting more oxygen into the metal. I had checked and rechecked all the variables that I could think of: enamel, gas versus electric kiln, the nitric acid, annealing, how the piece was supported, how quickly it cooled down, etc. I was beginning to feel as if the experience that I had gained over many years of enamelling was invalid, even though my instincts told me that it was the silver. It was also suggested that another enameller should also try to enamel some of the metal, which was duly done.
Despite being the third time I had engraved the same pattern, the cutting went really well and looked better even than the last piece. I was extra meticulous in my preparations, but on enamelling, exactly the same problem occurred, except that it was worse. By now I was getting confused. Surely the bullion deals had not given us another piece of metal from the same batch? Goldsmiths Hall had tested the first batch of silver and had not found anything other than rather more oxygen in the surface than normal. Maybe there was a different problem I had not yet worked out. Finishing this piece was becoming highly critical. It still had a large area of diamonds to be set and ultimately it was destined to go to the Queen Mother as a 100th birthday present. It had to be ready by the end of the year, now only a few weeks away. So a few more phone calls to more enamellers. Thank you Phil Barnes, Sarah Wilson, Gudde Skyrme, and Alan Mudd. The first plan of action was to cut off the outer stepped rim of which I was suspicious and replace the missing enamel. This made no difference at all. The next plan was to strip the remaining enamel off and soften all of the cutting by pumicing my lovely engraving, in case it was the sharp cutting that was causing the problem. Since the first successful piece had had the same engraving, this did not quite make sense to me, but I was beginning not to trust my instincts, Phil had suggested it, and I had run out of ideas. I had wondered if the enamel was the problem. I was using the same enamels as in the first piece except for some JG139, but Sarah had had no reports back of this batch being faulty. Before putting the plaque into hydrofluoric acid to remove the enamel, I dipped it first into just boiled water and then plunged it into cold. No more enamel
The end of this sorry tale is that the Queen Mother received a very beautiful engraved but not enamelled bowl. Phil Barnes tested the metal and he too had problems getting the metal to adhere. Clive is still pursuing the matter with the bullion dealer. A final report from Goldsmiths Hall suggested that the grain size of the metal was larger than usual and this could be linked to our problem. The time allotted to do some experimental work was gone and I will have to find a way to replace it in a very busy 2001. The final irony is that the samples both Phil and I did were lost in the post, as was my cheque from Clive.
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So if you have some metal that enamel will stick to really well if the surface is smooth but erratically throws it off an engraved surface and generally defies the normal enamelling rules, please let me know!
Latest Obsessions
I form my imagery with stencils, using a sifting technique, and in most instances let the pieces ‘grow’ of their own accord. This often gives me some most unexpected results, which I would never think of designing! These pieces are usually quite small, about 4 inches square (102x102 mm). However, when I am designing for a commission I can make pieces up to 16 inches square, (410x410 mm), and build these units up to any size. I often make a paper collage first, cover it with shiny film to imitate the look of the enamel, and use this to describe the proposed panel to the client. From this ‘working design’ I can cut my stencils in a more structured fashion to build up the layers of forms and colours, and then make a test piece.
Most of my work with enamels over the last few years focuses on my delight in the use of gold and silver foils and different carats and colours of gold leaf. I like the decadence in using these materials with some abandon, and the wonderful clarity and depth of colour which can be achieved when inlaying transparent enamel colours over them. From a carefully planned approach where the foils are meticulously cut and placed, to a more free use of the material using a development of Bill Helwig’s ‘reticulation’ technique, one can achieve some luscious textures and colours. I have been experimenting with the ‘reticulation’ of the foils for a year or so. I fire the gold and silver simultaneously at high temperatures for an extended period of time. A great variation in the qualities of the resulting colours and textures are achieved when the foils are used over different brands and types of enamel as a base. This has been most rewarding in terms of achieving an extended palette which can be controlled quite successfully. Some colours tend to cause the gold to go black, or produce a wrinkled effect, which can be quite interesting. They also to change the silver. The length of the firing is critical.
by Jenny Gore
A Flame Flickers Within
For some time I have been mainly working on opaque backgrounds, usually black or white, using copper as a base. The overlay of transparent enamels can add depth to the opaque colours as the piece progresses, usually through 20 – 30 firings. Near the end of the process I add the foils, with other details and writing produced using ceramic oxides, painting enamels, or “carefree™” lustres. Finally I apply gold, silver or palladium leaf accents.
A Temple in Hanoi Two pictures by Jenny Gore Copper, gold foil, and various enamelling media. Five inches square. 5 inches square
This fantastic medium of enamel has offered me many opportunities for travel. Usually I can combine attendance at conferences and exhibitions with workshop teaching to expand my horizons beyond the rather limited enamel world in Australia. I have been fortunate to exhibit in many countries, and am especially intrigued with Asia.
Reticulated foils have been an appropriate medium for the pieces made after a trip to Hanoi, Vietnam, in which I depicted the peeling, faded, layered exteriors of the original beautiful French colonial buildings, and the red and gold of the crumbling temples and pagodas.
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SURFACES II: Enamels at the Guild 21 October - 11 November 2000 Guild Gallery, Bristol by Tina Cartledge The creative potential of enamel on metal was demonstarted in the range of works that were shown in the Surfaces II exhibition at Bristol Guild, held during October and November 2000, which included glass, jewellery, vessels and enamelled panels by seven artists. The works ranged in colour from the subtly varying shades of white in the stitched sampler pieces of Elizabeth Turrell, through the controlled, limited colour used by Davina Kirkpatrick and Tina Cartledge, to the multicoloured works of Sheena McMahon, Tamizan Savill, Lisa Hamilton and Patricia Schelper Jones. Each artist exhibited a sense of continuity and fusion of ideas in their work that delineated their personal area of interest. Two recurrent themes run through the work of Elizabeth Turrell. Her stitched enamel foil pieces act “as a celebration of the stitch, honouring the labour of women through generations” (1). In contrast, the prolific works from Elizabeth’s In Mémoriam Series give us images of conflict that have been ‘sanitised’ by the media, “the broad theme of conflict as seen almost daily on the small rectangle of the television screen or newspaper photograph”(2). These works can be of a personal nature, being memorials for friends, or may draw our attention to such issues as the Declaration of Human Rights and the way we view conflict within its constraints. These works are contemplative and strong and draw us to question our own beliefs and views and the actions of others. Elizabeth may use traditional enamels, but she alters the surface of the metal by etching, piercing or sandblasting to create rich surfaces that would be unattainable in other media. The glass work exhibited by Davina Kirkpatrick was inspired by a public art residency and commission in Whitehaven, Cumbria, “a place that is built up of layers of history from which only tantalising glimpses and traces remain”(3). There is an elegant transience in this work, its lightness and fragility making us feel that we can only be caretakers of ideas and beauty, that permanence in nature is not possible to achieve. This impermanence can also be felt in her enamel works. The ebb and tide shown in some of her enamels, along with boats that are “clustered in conversation or are quietly alone” (3), are interpretations of sketches and images from the sea found close to her Cornish home near Mevagissey. Here the changing movement of the water 10
is like the progression of time, where each image, pictorial in quality, is like a snapshot in an album, that captures the memory, the essence, but cannot make time stand still within it. Tina Cartledge’s current extension of her Screened Images series involves the use of fluxes, foils and onglaze colours combined with stencils and risoscreens to produce small memorial pieces that can be viewed individually or as a group. The colour emphasis here is the interplay of copper with flux to produce reds from honey tones through to burgundy. The newest enamels in the series, however, contain coloured enamels. A limited number of jewellery pieces have also been produced. Her series of jewellery entitled Work includes text – the connecting line through much of Tina’s work, and includes words on the way she works and her sources of inspiration. The Earth series of brooches, however, breaks away from previous styles of working and uses earth-toned enamels – reds, ambers, greys and muted greens – on engraved, photo-etched silver. But perhaps the biggest change in her work is the production of small bowl-shaped vessels, edged in fine silver, whose interiors are glossy black enamel and exteriors are coloured enamels rubbed down to pebble-like, smooth surfaces, that are designed to be as good to hold as to look at. Sheena McMahon’s enamelled works express her sense of freedom, love of life, and her deep response to the Earth and its elements. Drawn to enamel by the vibrancy of its colour and the quality and depth of layers which could be achieved, Sheena ‘composes’ her different works, using enamels and firescale loosely, combining sifted coloured enamels with poured liquids. The interplay of colour and active, shiny surfaces thus created give her works a free, lively appearance. However, the richness and depth of opulent colours found in her work shows a resemblance to those of medieval tapestries and traditional wallhangings which belies their modern, somewhat flirty appeal. Tamizan Savill exhibited jewellery from three different series of her work. Her Deep Enamelled series consist of the use of a single colour of enamel over gold or silver leaf with fine silver wires. The Kite Tails series originated from displays at Bristol Kite Festival, and have become more abstract with their development, the
Panel from the In Mémorium Series by Elizabeth Turrell Enamel, steel and ceramic pigments 10cm x 10cm
range of colour in these being as varied, bright and flamboyant as the kite tails themselves. Tamizan’s most recent series of work, her Miniature Landscapes, depict scenery as shown in the works of Harald Sund and from other figurative sketches and photographs. Colours here are more restricted, directly referring to the landscapes they portray. The close packing of the colours without wires resemble miniature sand paintings with their attention to detail and exactness of construction. Tamizan contrasts the stillness of the silver against the reflective light of enamel over the metal.
fused. Some pieces resemble graffiti on a wall, whilst those mounted on steel have an almost industrial quality. Others are reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts, holy writings or other textual objects of desire or praise. Regardless of style, each shows a mastery of control in her use of the enamels themselves, a skill which is also apparent in Patricia’s Reflections series. Transparent and opaque enamels are layered and built up successively in these freely coloured and manipulated pieces to create a calm and unified whole. They are reflective both in their ability to reflect successive layers over others, in their contemplative nature, and in Patricia’s The witty, assembled, multi-media pieces of Lisa Ham- reflective treatment of them, often returning to a work ilton are constructed using a metal mesh over printed after a considerable period to add details and further paper over board background. This same mesh is used texture. to cover geometric, raised enamelled elements adhered to the front of each work, and acts to unify the pieces. The first Surfaces exhibition was held in the Guild Shapes are geometric – some circular, smooth, friendly, Gallery in 1998. Two years on, sales totalled much the whilst others are angular or rough, with cut edges being same, although it was noted that there appeared to be visible around most enamelled elements. Colour is fewer visitors to the gallery over the same length exhibibright but restricted – white, black, yellow, red, with use tion. Indeed, fewer visitors to the Guild itself would of fluxes also. This current series of work, entitled seem to have been the main reason for this. Those that Urban Jungle, has developed over the two years Lisa came were as appreciative of the work as ever, though has lived in Washington DC. Inspiration for these many had never seen enamel as an art form before. A pieces have come from things as varied as road signs postcard stall, and information on Studio Fusion, was blanketed in snow, rusty chain link fences, hot summer available to further knowledge about enamel and its afternoons with everyone trying to get somewhere but place in the modern gallery. no-one getting anywhere. They also refer to the mix of styles, peoples and cultures she has experienced there. If a follow-up exhibition to this is to be organised, it may Lisa also exhibited three jewellery pieces from private prove beneficial to find a gallery or workshop space that collections – one from her Sgraffito series and two from can provide a more interactive setting for what we all her Flying Carpet series. know to be an extremely varied and seductive medium. Patricia Schelper Jones’ Sacred Texts show a use of 1. Marjorie Simons Surface Design Journal calligraphy and stencils that form a union with the freely 2. Elizabeth Turrell worked backgrounds against which the lettering is 3. Davina Kirkpartrick 11
bead off the mandrel which has been acting as a handle throughout.
‘Glass On Glass - Enamelling at Its Extreme’ by Diana East Continued from page 2
whole piece must be kept above 520ºC throughout. I have found that this method allows me a much thinner, more densely coloured layer than is achievable by any other flameworking technique. Originally I was inspired to develop this way of working after looking at 19th century cameo work at Broadfield House Glass Museum, though the layers of colour in this work were achieved by quite different furnace working techniques.
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The final coat is a layer of 24ct gold that is achieved by fuming. This entails holding a tiny blob of fine gold on the end of a quartz rod in the hottest part of the flame at nearly 2000ºC. The gold evaporates and travels up the flame as a gas. The bead is held in the outer reaches of the flame where the gold literally condenses onto it, giving it a plating like coating. The bead is then cooled and masked with three layers of adhesive plastic tape whilst still on the mandrel and the image of buildings are cut around and the sky area peeled away. I then sand blast through the enamel to the transparent bead beneath using a grit blast gun housed in a plastic water tank and hooked up to my husband’s compressor. The next step involves removing more of the masking to reveal everything but the tiny gold domes and spires, with an application of nail varnish to mask streaks in the foreground where the fuming is deliberately thinner to give more purplish tones. The unwanted gold is dissolved away with etching paste which is rinsed off before it has time to matt the surface of the glass but gives a very slight eggshell appearance. The nail varnish is taken off with remover, the rest of the masking peeled off and a little oil applied to the powdery sand blasted surface to bring out the dichroic effect underneath. I finally take the
This technique of applying these enamels to beads was shown to me by Kate Fowle. She helped Thompson Enamels to develop them specifically for this purpose. It is one of an amazing number of techniques using enamel colours just with flameworking, in itself only one small facet of hot glass work, each different discipline of which can make use of enamel colours in staggeringly diverse ways. Diana East, glass beads and tuition. www.diana-east.co.uk tel. 0116 2867664
Product Information Thompson Enamels, including products for enamelling on glass, can be obtained in Europe from Ellen Goldman, 36 Thomsonlaan, 2565 LB Den Haag, Netherlands. Her email address is<jgoldman@hetnet.nl>. Mr. Carpenter of Thompson enamel writes: Thompson Enamel stopped making lead bearing glass enamels by have been selling lead free glass enamels since 1991. The 9000 series is compatible with Effetre. It is available direct from Thompson as well as from our distributors, with Frantz Beads being one. Many other useful items appear in the Thompson catalogue. The 5000 and 6000 series are for those who slump window glass, and the 7000 series is for stained glass and glass blowers. The 5000 and 6000 series also works very well on 400 series stainless steel. Thompson catalogues can be obtained by writing to Thompson Enamel Inc., 650 Colfax, Bellevue KY, 41073, USA. Their email addess is: <sales@thompsonEnamel.com>.
Why Do We Do It? ...I want to draw attention to a broader analysis of why
people are attracted to bright things and why they polish things and why they buy and ornament their houses and their bodies with shiny things. Any religion, any time, anywhere, will contain the notion of brilliant objects, brilliant knowledge, brilliant light. Our liking for brilliance seems to me to be linked to the way our brains make sense of visual stimuli…The important thing to me is that it's a big part of what could be called the anthropology of light. I had worked on brilliant objects before, in the Caribbean and the Americas. There, one of the clichés about the contact between Europeans and Americans was that’natives were “stupid” ‘ - that they made worthless exchanges with the visitors or colonisers. The Europeans following in Columbus's wake recorded trading cheap metal junk and glass beads for wonderful treasures of gold, silver, pearls, and emeralds. They were amazed 12
that they could swap bits of broken glazed pottery for bags of pearls. …You had to look not just at the gold and pearls that the ancient Amerindians were trading, but at what lay behind these shiny objects. And what lay behind the objects were ideas about the sacred values, meanings, and the power of light. Once you begin to look at what these people thought about light, then you get a handle on how light was transformed into brilliant objects. You could then get a grip on a whole body of knowledge about the value of light, meteorological phenomena, astronomy, and objects that embodied light. This is what the Amerindians were trading: cosmic power, cosmic knowledge and religious significance. From the Oct 28, 2000 issue of New Scientist, p 43 Opinion Interview with Nick Saunders, written by Maggie McDonald. The subject is Trench Art.