Spring 2002
Colour and Reflection: Van Long Looks Through the Catalogue In
October 2001 the American Enamelist Society staged an international exhibition entitled Colour and Reflection to accompany their bi-annual conference. The well illustrated catalogue which accompanied this event gives everyone a chance to see and enjoy the wonderful work on display. The BSOE has acquired a number of copies of this catalogue which will be available for purchase at the AGM in April. Van Long writes: The richly coloured covers of the beautifully compiled catalogue of this exhibition promise a feast. Nor is the viewer disappointed. A quick scan of the pages conveys an impression of a great variety of realisations - expressive, powerful, subtle, innovative, precious, colourful (naturally), and some quite astonishing in their originality of concept and use of materials. The eighty-one exhibitors, each represented by a photograph of one of their pieces, are drawn mainly from the USA., but there are small numbers from Japan and the UK. (BSOE members Elizabeth Turrell, Ian Robertson, and Deidre McCrory,) and one each from Australia, Spain and Singapore. Eleven American enamellers showed by invitation. In all there were thirtyfour panellists and forty-seven jewellers and makers of small objects.
Terra Incognita by Debbie Wetmore Fine silver, vermeil, cloisonné enamel, 24k gold, wood, dichroic glass, druzy quartz 15cm x 3.8cm x 38 cm
Achievements awards went to three enamellers from the USA, two of whom deserve mention here. Harald Balazs’ ‘Totem With A Mission’ combines powerful imagery rooted in ancient North American culture with sensitive use of the enamel medium. This is the most contemporary exhibition of the awards. Bill Helwig’s ‘Sentinel; Amid Time’ demonstrates a fine feeling for design , with real skill in handling foils and enamel.
The guiding principal ’More is More’ could be perceived l behind some exhibits. Debbie Wetmore’s ‘Terra Incognita’, for example, combines fine silver, vermeil, cloisonné enamel, 24k gold, wood, dichroic glass and druzy quartz in three well wrought brightly comic brooches which seem to come alive!
Fuhrman’s subtle but expressive ‘Lava Series 5‘ cleverly combines a hessonite garnet with an irregular rectangel of textured but shiny enamel, as limpid as water-colour. Sarah Perkins crisply conceived ‘Green Triple Cup’ is as eye-catching as a lime-green hedgehog which it intriguingly resembles - very cutting edge.
Representing the panellists, but in the form of a bas relief, Audrey Komrad’s ‘Floral Fantasy’ makes use of copper mesh shaped into approximately fifty flower forms massed together in rows to become a bright block of almost mobile colour. Mesh is used by J.E. Jasen in ‘Blue Shadow Makes My Skin Look Like Lilacs’- and this exhibit incorporates a glass eye! In the area of jewellery, another surprising piece, a brooch by Maria Phillips entitled ‘Corpus Luteum’, consists of six enamelled rosehips trapped in a curved cylindrical prison.
Demonstrating an expressive use of enamel, Pamela Hassler’s ‘Eclipse #1 (Cobalt)‘ reveals a fine feeling for design, division of space (the photograph shows only a section of her panel) and harmonious drawing together with rich pattern and colour. She does this by combing one layer of enamel over another.
Some exhibits are technically awesome in a way that makes one wonder how they are made rather than what they say or mean. The faithfully realistic confections of Evelyn Purvis ‘No Fat, No Sugar, No Calories’ are displayed in paper cups on a paper doily and a space-age vessel by Valeri Timofeev entitled ‘Bowl’ demonstrates virtuoso perfection in the control of its plique-a-jour construction and the assembly of its parts.
Sculptural Box No. 11 by Kim Lucci-Elbualy Electroformed and fabricated copper and sgraffito enamel 34 x 14 x 6 cm
Amidst this throng of innovation and richness of expression, and falling into quite a different category, it is quite refreshing to find a balance. Kim Lucci-Elbualy’s ‘Sculptural Box No.11‘ is a superbly realised piece both in the sense of its tactile and challenging form and in the way that no attempt has been made to disguise the method of construction, which results in beautiful enamel colouration. Work like this has a most contemporary feel; there is integrity in its conception and sensitivity in the way the materials have been employed. In Ginny Whitney’s ‘Brooch’, composed of sterling silver, iron and cloisonné, two restrained arcs of irregularly but colourfully striped matt enamel make a simple, sleek, and complete statement. Over the page Leni
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In is not easy to evaluate enamelled work from a photograph. (I have, by the way, discovered that a superb colour print can be made on a photocopier directly from an enamelled panel.) Having seen some work by Gretchen Goss at the Bristol Workshops and Conference, I know that I would find find her ‘Field and Farmer’, shown in the Colour and Refection catalogue, extremely satisfying for its simplicity of statement and impression of controlled freedom. In the panel over the page the painterliness of Helen Elliot’s ‘Beyond the Wall III’, a lovely combination of fluidity and tension, makes me wish dearly that I could view the real thing.
This panel I believe demonstrated that it is not necessary to have the facility of expensive equipment or exotic materials to make a statement of great value. Consisting, as it does, of enamelled steel just over 50 cm square, it would demand a generous but not an industrial kiln. The catalogue has many examples of panel work which could comfortably fit into a kiln measuring 30 cm square and whose materials list stops at metal and enamel. In many of the exhibitions, the impact given can prove that less is more. In order to determine new developments in this exhibition, I browsed through my collection of exhibition catalogues from past years and different venues. This can be a sad occupation when it highlights the demise of some stars of enamelling, but it can also press home the value
of timelessness, when one observes a maker of the stature of June Schwartz whose organic, tactile vessels depend only on a narrow range of skills - metal enamelling, electroplating, and patination. Some enamellers’ work can be readily recognised from year to year but following the progress of others can be illuminating too. Exhibiting in the Limoges Biennale International of the eighties, the school representing the U.S.S.R. - as it then was - demonstrated a ‘house style’ of enamelled sculptures, executed with rigorous engineering precision, that combined fantasy and originality. Valeri Timofeev was one of this number. His skills are even more evident now, exhibiting his plique a jour vessel in Color and Reflection. From the restrained colour and pared-back form of the past he has pushed the boundaries of accomplishment and inventiveness to their extremes. These international exhibitions are the product of much time and work of many people in the host country, but they play a valuable role in the development of enamelling. How else can we find out where we are going? We very much look forward to a future Color and Reflection from the United States.
Green Triple Cup by Sarah Perkins Fine silver and enamel 10cm x 10cm x 10cm
these and private collections. The exhibition is curated by Ernestine's great-niece, Irene Cockroft, who is the leading authority on her work. An article by Irene about Ernestine Mills and the exhibition appears on pages 8 and 9.
ENAMELLING FOR EQUALITY: ENAMELS BY ERNESTINE MILLS An exhibition 16 April - 14 July 2002 at the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Castle Lane, Bedford MK40 3RP
Joan Bolton King will be giving demonstrations of enamelling techniques at the exhibition. Her new book, Enamelling, in the Art of Crafts Series, is a mine of information for both beginners and the more experienced enameller. An article about the book by Joan Bolton King appears on pages 11 and 12.
Among notable women artists of the past is Ernestine Mills (1871-1959), a metalworker and enameller. Mrs Mills was taught by the leading enamellist of the 1890s, Alexander Fisher.
Work by leading contemporary enamellers will be on sale at the gallery.
During the campaign for votes for women, Ernestine became a staunch Suffragist. Her political views and support for the Suffrage movement is apparent in her exquisite enamels, some of which were produced as commemorative pieces for women unjustly imprisoned for supporting the campaign.
Group tours welcome by appointment. For further information contact the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Castle Lane, Bedford MK40 3RP tel: (01234) 211222, fax: (01234) 327149 Email: chag@bedford.gov.uk Website: <www.cecilhigginsartgallery.org>
Today her works are represented in museum collections around the world and this exhibition will draw on
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Profile: Nick Chastern
Movement Into New Directions
Copper Sculpture by Nick Chastern Copper and jewellery enamel 18cm x 22cm x 16cm Enamel on Copper
My path into enameling has been an unconventional one. With early hopes of attending art college dashed due to lack of funding, I started my working career in the building trade and continued this for a number of years, meanwhile pursuing my deep interest in art in my free time. Having had success and encouragement from the sales of portraits, I had the impetus to move from two dimensional to three dimensional work and to enthusiastically leave the building trade. Fron 1986 - 1992 I studied silversmithing part-time at Chesterfield College of Art.
Silversmithing and Allied Crafts course at London Guildhall University in 1993 In the second year I was introduced to enamelling by Tamar Winter and, later, Sarah Letts. Enamelling ignited a firework display in my mind in regards to the possibilities of colour on metal. Initially I produced many two dimensional test pieces in all sizes, using shavings of steel, brass, copper, silver and bottle glass to create combinations of texture and colour. I remember being unsure of how to apply this research to three dimensional forms. I finished the HND in 1995 and then attended the extended studies program at LGU on a part-time basis. Drawing from all the metal forming techniques I had previously acquired, I felt my skills were falling into place with regards to enamelling.
After spending the first three years handraising to mirror finish, I went on to specialise in etching and spinning. Feeling restricted by the limitations of plain finishing, I was inspired to implement etching onto the inner and outer surfaces of the metal. This has proved to be integral to the enamelling work I later produced. Wishing to develop my eductation in metal working further, I enrolled full time in the HND Jewellery,
Restricted by the size of the kiln available, I produced a number of small spun copper bowls where were intentionally distorted during the spinning process to create
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nlnc6 pic 2
‘Blue Sea Coral Bowl by Nick Chastern Copper, opaque jewellery enamel and liquid white enamel 40cm x 40cm x20cm 1997
variation in form. Using sieves, hand painting, liquid enamel, translucent and opaque enamels and various fluxes, my early approach was to try anything that came to hand to further the question ‘what if?‘ The results of these experiments led to a turning point with regards to three dimensional work.
bowl, this problem was so magnified that a different approach had to be taken, which lead to my working in a cooler kiln. Once the white base coat was secured by a 700º firing, I was able to proceed with the addition of other colours and raising the temperature. The final firing took place at 950º.
The next stage was to attain the use of a large kiln in order to produce a large piece. Gaining permission to use a ceramic kiln came with numerous health and safety restrictions specific to the unconventional use of such a big ceramic kiln for enamelling, rather than pottery. In addition, keeping out the drafts hindered the cooling process, and ensuring that other people in the area were abiding by the regulations made the process difficult. Although challenging at the time, this proved to be a valuable learning experience in which I gained a better understanding of the health and safety issues involved in using such a large kiln, which had a firing chamber of 3ft x 4ft.
Although the adhesion of the liquid white enamel around the edges had improved, it was still under the constant threat of drafts during the cooling process. Protective screens were implemented which slowed the cooling dramatically, improving results. This proved to be one of the most delicate areas involved in the enamelling of this bowl. In all, attempting to tame the metal and enamel of numerous varieties created some interesting challenges. I now consider ‘Blue Sea Coral Bowl’ to have been a prototype that prompted future developments from this form. The ‘Blue Sea Coral Bowl’ won a Jerwood Prize commendation and was exhibited, along with another smaller bowl, in Goldsmiths Hall in 1997.
In all I produced three large bowls, the biggest being 16“ x 9”. This piece, titled the ‘Blue Sea Coral Bowl’ was enamelled with opaque liquid enamel and incorporated the technique of burning out holes in the metal using acetylene torches, a procedure which I had developed when I was studying in Chesterfield. The enamelling implemented what I called ‘slow heating’ working at temperatures 750 -850º. Initially the two smaller bowls were fired at 1000-1100º with produced reasonably good enamel adhesion, but at this high temperature, some of the enamel did bounce off. In the areas where there were holes and edges in the design, the liquid enamel reacted particularly violently to the edges during the cooling process and with the large
Sadly, at this point my work came to an abrupt end. On November 1997 I w as involved in a serious road accident which severely smashed my right hand, severing arteries and causing the total collapse of the muscles. Faced with a long healing process, I nevertheless returned to university on a part time basis. Now obviously limited, I began experimenting with steel and welding and this prompted a change of direction in my work. Being restricted from doing work involving a hammer spurred me on to a more sculptural format. Inspired by the way in which my hand was held together with pins, I began to fabricate sculptures using thick slabs of scrap steel linked together with arc welded steel bars. I then experimented with enamelling on steel and welding the enamelled piece onto a
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sculptural form. I also riveted enamelled copper to steel. As my hand slowly recovered, I spent my time in my Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cross workshop learning to further understand the properties of steel and taking on furniture and lighting commissions.
exhibition at Studio Fusion. I moved to Brighton in that same year and finally, in 2001, I managed to purchase a large kiln myself and to continue with my enamelling work. Now my main focus is the sea. My new work displays traces of form and textures evident in seaside erosion and the life forms within the sea. The shapes are softer and display a sensitivity that reflects the techniques from which they have been made. Movement is central to the forms created by hand raising, carving and chasing. In this new work, my approach to enamelling has also changed. Where previously the metal was covered or hidden underneath the enamel, now the metal and enamel are one with each other. The process is exposed, from the initial forming and chasing to the carving and firing. Every state is considered and directly influences the stage that follows. The enamel draws these elements together and the colours that result are a rich display of the burnt oranges, rusts, and golden tones which are produced when metal and the enamels are heated together. I want to make it obvious that my environment is a central influence on my creativity and that through my work I can communicate my love of nature and the sea.
At this stage I was accepted on the Masters course at London Guildhall University. While natural forms have always been a major influence in my work, it was in doing the MA course that I explored natural forms in depth and produced a collection of sculptures based on these themes. Drawing on the techniques of chasing and hand raising, the results of two years development culminated with work embodying movement, texture, and form which spoke of the forces of nature combined with the restraints of the inner city environment. Copper and steel, coloured and textured, were the main materials used to execute these pieces. Unfortunately, due to new health and safety regulations, the large kiln previously made available for enamelling work of this size was unavailable, so I had to create colour through metal heating processes and small enamel test pieces. The emphasis shifted to the form of the pieces and I acquired skills in hand carving both steel and copper, but still the finished sculptures cried out to be enamelled.
With regards to the future, I hope to continue finding ways of pushing my craft to further limits. I would like to sell my work further afield, in America and Japan, and I dream of a large sculpture commission incorporating enamel.
In 2000 some of my enamelled panels and a small enamelled bowl were exhibited at the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;New Talentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
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Raised and Carved Steel Bowl by Nick Chastern Steel and jewellery enamel 25cm x 25cm x 6cm 2002
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New Member:
Nike de Bellaigue Gives A Gentle Reminder of the Strength of Nature Although she only started working in the medium in 1992, Nike de Bellaigue has always been interested in enamelling. When she was a child her grandmother gave her an enamelled bracelet as a gift and from that point on, whenever she had an opportunity to travel, she looked out for more examples of enamelling in, for instance, France, Italy and India. Exhibitions in Goldsmiths Hall, especially the 1987 Lalique jewellery exhibition, greatly stimulated her interest. This was helped by the fact that at the time she worked a stoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throw away. After leaving work in the city, Nike found she had time to finally take Three pairs of earclips by Nike de Bellaigue Transparent jewellery enamel on sterling silver up her ambition to enamel jewel2cm x 1.5cm lery herself. For two years she studTrnasp ied the basics of jewellery at the Kensington and Chelsea Open College Federation Course, which took place two days a week. Although more difficult that she Nikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work is tranquil, leaving Turner to express temhad anticipated, Nike mastered simple jewellery makpestuousness! Instead, her discrete marks and texturing ing techniques. bring a gentle focus to the enamelled areas of jewellery. Once finished at Chelsea, she went straight on to do a part-time HND course of four years at Sir John Cass Department of Art within the London Guildhall University. Here she was able to develop her enamelling and the experience did not disappoint her. Although she says it was always a struggle, the fun was in the trying.
During her studies at LGU, the emphasis swung from geometric to organic and back again. Nike ended up feeling that she preferred organic subjects, particularly shells. But although the overall shape of a shell might be organic, the patterns on their surface were geometric. Her discovery that in organic form there is often a geometric element led her on to being intrigued by the geometry of growth.
In her work, when she wants to understand a shape, Nike finds it occasionally helpful to supplement her sketches with three-dimensional models in paper. The essential attraction of enamel for Nike is its colour: she prefers to work with enamel rather than stones because it is a more painterly way to bring colour to jewellery. She designs with the wearer in mind, choosing colours that go with clothes. While she tends to work with pale shades of transparent enamels, she manages to work in warm tones and now realises that her colour range is similar to that used by a painter such as Turner. But
Having finished her HND, Nike is now working on her City and Guilds, advanced level, because she wants to continue with her practical development. In the future she plans to go on making and selling, but admits that she works at a fairly slow pace. Still, batch production is a possibility because Nike uses photo etching to achieve the basic forms, which she later textures. Her range includes earclips, brooches, and pendants and can be seen at Studio Fusion.
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Exhibition Preview
The Alchemy of Enamelling For Equality Enamelling for Equality Exhibition 16 April – 14 July 2002 Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford By Irene Cockroft Because of its precious nature and its durability, enamelling has from time immemorial been used politically. It has been used as personal adornment reinforcing status. It has been used for devotional objects and pictorial religious teaching. Enamelling has been used as a medium for commemorating famous events and for immortalising political figures and heroes. In the late nineteenth, early twentieth century enamelling was used in all these age-old ways to support an entirely new phenomenon, Women’s Suffrage. The Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford, is mounting a unique exhibition that transforms social history into a visual treat.
driven manufactory. The profit motive led to goods becoming so cheap and shoddy that they began to lose ground to foreign imports. In 1836 architect A.W.N. Pugin advocated a return to the gothic style of the Middle Ages when designer and craftsman were one, as a means to stem ‘the present decay of taste’. In 1837 the government found it necessary to establish Schools of Design in an effort to redeem the reputation of British manufacture. Art critic John Ruskin (18191900) and later, designer and socialist William Morris (1834-96), took up the challenge to reunite heart, head and hand, and are remembered as the two main founders of the Arts & Crafts movement.
The fusing of two historic ingredients makes Enamelling for Equality a seminal exhibition. The first ingredient is the Arts & Crafts movement. The second is the Women’s Suffrage campaign. Enamelling for Equality brings together a dazzling array of art objects to demonstrate how crafty Victorian and Edwardian women used art as a means of publicising their claim for political equality.
The practical incarnation of the theory behind the movement came in 1861 with the formation of the firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co to manufacture furniture and fabrics embodying good craftsmanship, good design and fitness of purpose. Ruskin espoused a revival of traditional rural crafts to revitalize the countryside and reverse factory-led urban squalor.
Women’s Suffrage Like all good stories, Enamelling for Equality begins Long Ago … Way back in 1832 a new Reform Bill extended voting rights to a large section of householders. Without precedent, a fourletter word was inserted. Persons eligible to vote became male persons.
Many cottage crafts like spinning, weaving and lacemaking were the province of the fair sex. Women took grateful advantage of the opening of new markets by Ruskin and other philanthropists.
Although prior to 1832 women were not specifically excluded from voting, they were not expected to do so. The vicinity of the rowdy election platform was no place for the gentle sex. However the gradual conferring of voting rights on all males over the age of 21 whilst denying rights to all women, concentrated female minds on the injustice and the danger of taxation without representation.
Rural and working class women were not the only females who needed to earn a living. Marriage as the only honourable profession for Victorian gentlewomen was becoming increasingly less feasible. The preponderance of females to males was growing and the social problem of untrained ladies with no means of support was becoming acute.
Three generations of Suffragists were to bear witness to entrenched male prejudice. Not until 1928 were British women granted equal voting rights with men … far behind most other developed countries.
The fashion for handcrafted wares was seized upon as a solution to the problem. Arts and crafts seemed simply an extension of approved ladylike accomplishments like sketching and embroidery. All that was required, the authorities reasoned, was a little training to raise existing skills to a commercial standard.
Arts & Crafts
By the 1870s there was a proliferation of art classes for women in London, the provinces, Scotland and Ireland. Establishments intended to train male artisans, were flooded by gentlewomen desperate to learn a craft.
In the 1830s Britain was in the grip of the Industrial Revolution. In 1829 Thomas Carlyle lamented, ‘On every hand the living artisan is driven from his workshop, to make room for a speedier inanimate one.’ The wealthy became wealthier. The artisan was reduced to an impoverished cog in a machine-
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Fine art training including figure drawing from life, was hardly an option for sheltered womenfolk. Females were steered towards the decorative or applied arts such as bookbinding, ceramic painting, lacemaking, embroidery, dressmaking and fabric design. Every opportunity to learn had a waiting list. Enamelling In 1886 the director of the South Kensington School of Art invited a French enameller, M. Dalpayrat, to demonstrate the technique of painting with glass and fire to selected students. Few took an interest, dismissing the painstaking process as applied rather than fine art. One student, Alexander Fisher, saw the potential. Fisher developed his own style of enamel on metal painting, and imbued it with Pre-Raphaelite passion. Fisher in turn taught at the South Kensington School. One of his students was Ernestine Evans Bell. Tina Bell became a disciple of Fisher’s style of enamelling and remained so until her death in 1959. Enamel on metal at its best is breathtakingly beautiful and versatile. Tina and many of her female friends had assiduously studied classical art at the Slade School. Realising they stood no chance in the art market against determined male colleagues such as Augustus John, these young women added craft training to their accomplishments, as a means to earn a living. Thus enamelling gained some exceptional artists. They approached enamelling in a painterly style, with an astonishing degree of success. Full circle An orphan at 21, Tina Bell was a typical gentlewoman obliged by fate to earn her living. Her family background was radical. Both parents had campaigned for women’s right to vote. Following their premature deaths from cancer, Tina became a ward of militant Suffrage leader Hertha Ayrton. In 1898, Tina married Herbert Mills, a medical doctor who was instrumental in implementing Lloyd George’s National Health Insurance Act of 1911. Among Dr Mills’ patients was the Pankhurst family.
One of the many loves of the chief god in Greek mythology, Zeus, was the forest nymph, Callisto. The nymph was seduced by Zeus in the form of a bolt of lightning. Here Ernestine Mills depicts Callisto thoughtfully wearing a helmet incorporating a lightning conductor. Zeus’ jealous wife Hera, disguised as a peacock, observes the illicit union. Callisto is turned into a bear, shot and killed, and transformed into the constellation of the she-bear, Ursa Minor. Callisto’s bare state may be intended as a pun.
mage 6x9cm © V.Irene Cockroft IPhotograph mage 6cm x 9cm © V.Irene Cockroft David Cockroft Photograph David Cockroft Private Collection Image 6x9cm © V.Irene Cockroft Private Collection Photograph David Cockroft passed and domestic chores increased for the maturing women, the number of art-enamellers dwindled. Enamelling for Equality reveals major work by high priestesses of the craft such as Geraldine Carr, Mrs Bethune and, it is hoped, Phoebe Traquair. Some pieces have not been on public display since first exhibited a century ago, including two stunning, newly discovered major pieces by the women’s charismatic mentor, Alexander Fisher.
Mrs Ernestine Mills placed her artistic skill at the disposal of the Women’s Suffrage campaign. She enamelled Votes for Women brooches, pendants for imprisoned heroines, and other jewellery that was sold to raise funds for the campaign. A frequent theme of her enamelled tablets was empowerment, lauding the achievements of female saints and goddesses. The art of Ernestine Mills is a tangible record of women’s struggle to win political equality.
In this Queen's Golden Jubilee year, visitors will be privileged to see an Ernestine Mills enamelled bowl graciously loaned by Her Majesty the Queen. The bowl was a gift from the artist to the then Princess Elizabeth on her marriage to Prince Phillip.
When Ernestine first began exhibiting her enamels in 1900, she was one of a number of female friends working in this medium made fashionable by Fisher. As the years
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Ernestine Mills’s daughter recalled having her childhood nursery taken over for the making of political banners. As Hermia Mills was born in 1902, this probably refers to the parade on Women’s Sunday in June 1908. The talented women who had been relegated to training in the decorative, rather than fine arts, turned their hands to designing, printing and embroidering all manner of subversive Suffrage material, teaching each other necessary skills.
the political importance of the exquisite and durable art of enamelling.
The Cecil Higgins Art Gallery provides the perfect setting for this exhibition. It is a Victorian mansion endowed with many treasures of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. The permanent display links to the Enamelling for Equality exhibition at too many levels to enumerate. Follow the S for Suffrage trail snaking back and forth between temporary and permanent exhibits. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to catch a glimpse of history through the eyes of a spirited protagonist and master craftswoman. Enjoy a revelation on
Further reading: Callen, Anthea Angel in the Studio – Women in the Arts and Crafts Movement 1870-1914, Astragal Books, London 1979 Crawford, Elizabeth The Women’s Suffrage Movement – A Reference Guide 1866-1928, UCL Press, London 1999 King, Joan Bolton, Enamelling, Art of Crafts Series, The Crowood Press, Wiltshire, September 2001.
The Brackenbury Tablet
The home of the Brackenbury family, mother Hilda and two artist daughters, Georgina and Marie, was a large house in London W8 with many rooms and interconnecting passages. Suffragettes sought by the police for reimprisonment were hidden there. It became known as ‘Mouse Castle’. When the Brackenbury women died, they bequeathed the house to be converted into a hostel for use by the ‘Over Thirty Association’. This Association provided accommodation for the type of women who had campaigned for the vote and who, in later years, had no family to support them. The memorial tablet was made to be displayed in the entrance hall. For further information about the tablet’s history and symbolism, contact the Newsletter editor.
The Enamelling for Equality exhibition is to be opened by Dr Helen Pankhurst of WOMANKIND Worldwide, a UKbased charity dedicated to women's development and women's human rights globally. Helen is the granddaughter of suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst.
Now on permanent display in the Women’s Suffrage showcase at the Museum of London, the Brackenbury Tablet commemorates the assistance the Brackenbury family gave to suffragettes who were imprisoned for window smashing and other small crimes to call attention to their cause. In prison these women went on hunger strike and were forcefed. When their health broke down they had to be released to save their lives. Under the terms of of the Prisoners’ Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health Act, the hunger-striking suffragettes were released only to be re-arrested when they recovered. This became known as the Cat and Mouse Act.
Brackenbury Tablet by Ernestine Mills, 1950 52 cm x 55 cm, enamel on copper, gilded wood surround Image © V. Irene Cockroft, Photograph © David Cockroft, courtesy of The Museum of London
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The Birth of a New Book By Joan Bolton King Joan Bolton King has recently published Enamelling in the Art of Crafts Series. This book intelligently and clearly presents the basic techniques of enamelling, generously illustrated with photographs, most of which Joan took herself. Suitable for those new to the subject, it would also be of relevance in supplementing a course. On a more advanced level, there is a thorough description of using liquid enamels and particularly liquid flux, which requires specialist treatment. A gallery of professional level enamelling comes at the end of the book, providing inspiration to the readers. Below Joan write about her experience of writing the book:
in the project unless I cut and compromised my initial concept, so I consciously decided not to do this and worked just to ensure production expenses were covered.
Every pregnancy is different and I am sure it the same where writing a book is concerned. Authors’ ideas, publishers’ aims, time limits and costing vary with each publication which ensure that all writers will have different experiences. The gestation period was twentyone months in my case. There was morning sickness in the early days and the delivery happened quietly at home. Afterwards came the bonus of friends contacting me, saying what they thought of the infant Enamelling.
A submission of a brief outline draft swiftly brought a contract laying down the book’s length, illustrative content and my deadlines. The publisher would fund professional photographs of some finished work and the improvement of diagrammatic illustrations, otherwise I would bear all other costs in return for set advances from future royalties - some at once, the rest later. They also sent a detailed guide on how I should set out and present my draft - useful to have from the start.
My publisher approached the Guild of Enamellers when they wanted to add enamelling to their practical illustrated books in a new ‘Art of Crafts’ series. Having previously written for the Guild Journal, I was very interested in the prospect of taking on a book, and readily agreed to meet their contact, Rachel (surnames seem superfluous in the book world). I quickly looked at their other crafts books and started working out how the challenge could best be met, noting my queries for later discussion with the publishers. I planned to deal with the basics and techniques that could be achieved at home with simple equipment, but including illustrations of many advanced techniques.
Rachel proved an understanding mentor, gently encouraging but firmly putting the publisher’s stylistic points. I sent her my early draft of the opening chapters and her suggestions on the typescript and illustrations were invaluable. I also discussed new ideas on the content and presentation with her; nevertheless some of these were later changed in the editing. My learning curve for writing and typing the script was painful and needed to rise quickly, but no way as fast as mastering the photography of each stage of enamelling. I took advice, bought accessories for my old OM10 camera and sought a person to take the action pictures of various processes – some photographic students might work for just expenses and a printed credit.
Rachel and I met, looked at enamels, talked about the craft and discussed how my ideas might fit into their style of presentation (fortunately I kept notes as some issues later became contentious). I would have to provide numerous photographs and actually enamel many of the examples featured in the text. More time was therefore negotiated before the illustrated script had to be submitted. I realised that there would be little profit
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The next months were hard work. Most mornings I spent three to four hours on the word processor before contemplating further planning, correcting and actual enamelling. The necessary illustrations needed working out and often photographing in sequence. How I longed for bright but cloud-covered still days when I could best use my camera in the garden - then wondered whether the resultant prints would be acceptable or added to the growing pile of rejects (I must have accumulated over eight hundred photographs in all!). Researching information, contacting suppliers and asking co-operation from many enamellers was time consuming, but I truly appreciated their help and encouragement. I also discovered that including a stamped envelope for reply overcame many delays. I personally took my completed work to the publisher one week ahead of the deadline. This opportunity to discuss various points was most helpful and Rachel introduced me to the man who would take over for the production and editing of the book. He and I were to argue about changes which he thought would improve the book and I thought undermined my intentions. I had my say but theirs was the last word! The next months were somewhat frustrating because I did not know what was happening while he farmed my script out to independent typesetters etc. Every
so often I was given just a few days to correct proofs or propose revisions to their changes, and it was then I learnt that the craft book, originally sent as an example of their style, was out of date! I was relieved when the colour proofs finally arrived before being sent to Singapore for printing. Meanwhile the proposed date of release slipped to late October, too late for the Christmas trade.
Publishers prepare their books but I have come to the conclusion that they are reluctant to take any non-standard action to promote an individual specialist publication, even at an author’s suggestion. No health visitors monitored my baby book’s progress in the wide world where, hopefully it will prosper. Writing Enamelling is something I would not have missed maybe it’s vanity but I felt I had something to say and there was a need for such a book. I fortunately had a publisher’s backing and my costs covered - I am retired, not needing to earn my bread - and the publishers found an enthusiastic amateur! Probably an enameller with typing and literary skills, a PC and modern photographic equipment would do much better. How about producing your own baby? Enamelling by Joan Bolton King 260mm x 215mm, 112 pages, colour throughout ISBN 1 86126 437 2 Hardback £16.99 (spiral bound) Order from The Crowood Press, Crowood Lane, Ramsbury, Wiltshire, SR8 2HR. Tel. 01672 520320 (post free to BSOE members)
Stencilling illustration in Joan Bolton Kings‘s book Enamelling
Chairman Ian Roberston 35 Barnfield Gardens Kingston-On-Thames Surrey KT2 5RH 020 8546 7955 bsoechair@aol.com
Secretary Maureen Carswell Sainthill Kingsland Road Shrewsbury Shropshire SY3 7AF maureen.carswell@which.net
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Editor Pat Johnson 51 Webbs Road London SW11 6RX 020 7228 0011 pat.johnson@enamel.demon.co.uk