Winter 2006
'The Self As Work' - a Review of Marjorie Simon's Enamelled Jewellery
by Beverley Price
Multi-Spine necklace by Marjorie Simon Copper, enamel, re-cycled African glass beads, Mura beads Necklaces range from 45 to 53cm Photographer: Ralph Gabrine
In 1997 I met Marjorie Simon at the huge gathering of enamellers in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We made a warm connection, which was renewed at the Bristol symposium in 2000, where she was a speaker. Marjorie writes for Metalsmith, serves on their Editorial Advisory Committee, and exhibits widely: in the UK at Studio Fusion, and in America with Jewellers’werk Galerie in Washington DC, Charon Kransen Arts, at The Society of Arts and Crafts Boston, at SOFA, and at Objects of Desire, in Kentucky. We share a common history of career shifts, moving from the ‘helping professions’ (she was a Sociology graduate) to contemporary jewellery and enamelling. Marjorie began by attending classes in the vibrant 92nd Street YMCA, which introduced her to a remarkable array of educators, such as Enid Kaplan, Rebekah Laskin (who taught colour and traditional Limoges), Bob Ebendorf, Lisa Gralnick,
In 1997 I met Marjorie Simon at the huge gathering of enamellers in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We made a warm connection, which was renewed at the Bristol symposium in 2000 where she was a speaker. Marjorie writes for Metalsmith, serves on their Editorial Advisory Committee, and exhibits widely: in the UK, at Studio Fusion, and in America with Jewellers'werk Galerie in Washington DC, Charon Kransen Arts, at The Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston, at SOFA, and at Objects of Desire in Kentucky. We share a common history of career shifts, moving from the 'helping professions' (she was a Sociology graduate ) to contemporary jeweller and enameller. Marjoie began by attending classes at the vibrant 92nd Street YMCA which introduced her to a remarkable array of educators, including Enid Kaplan, Rebekah Laskin (who taught 'colour' and tradi-
formed and folded slender copper bead-units, coloured with opaque enamels. There was a jovial quality to the work which emerged through her repetition of forms as carriers of the effects that copper and enamels had upon each other. When I handled the piece, the word ‘allow’ kept seeping through. It captured her minimal artistic interference and apparent curiosity about the copper oxidation, (the latter gently breaking through each enamelled surface). ‘I always wanted a raw, burned, effect, something reeking of age, use, and history...reminiscent of all those tiny amphora from antiquity’. The textural finish was a subtle matting with intermittent speckles of gloss.
Art Jewellery and Enamel Art in America As a benefit of Marjorie's American experience as a maker and writer in the contemporary art jewellery scene, she was able to shed some light on the developmental history as well as the current context of enamelling in America. Marjorie writes: ‘Awareness of art jewellery in the US was almost single-handedly created by Helen Drutt, in Philadelphia, starting back in the late 1970's, when the use of alternative materials in jewellery began gaining credence. Much of the interest and aesthetic came from Europe at that time, notably Holland and Germany, specifically from Gijs Bakker and Hermann Junger.’
As the wearer of the piece, the weight of the articulated units would make for an interactive and conscious experience, while providing a percussive element with the body's movement. The pebble-like tactility would draw the fingers towards a good and contemplative fidget. The simplicity of the composition of the necklace, including the clasp, offered a calming congruence.
‘In one sense there has been an entire American generation accustomed to seeing non-precious materials in jewellery, with educated collectors understanding that found objects, when incorporated into well designed jewellery, are art. With regard to enamel specifically, what it can be outside of the ‘known’ expressions such as cloisonné, is now also beginning to be accepted as art, even when it is not actually recognised as enamel.’
Marjorie's Red Zinnia brooch (see right) brought to mind the Red Zinnia Brooch by Marjorie Simon pervasive yet rhythmic Vitreous enamel on copper, sterling silver, pierced, die formed, fabricated lines of graffiti art. 90mm diam. 2004 Extending this, it looked Photo: Robert Diamante as if the concept of the Zinnia had been plucked from a popular, public and even anonymous wall ‘For example, at craft shows I have been asked ‘Is this somewhere in New York City, to become an intimate body leather?’ because my enamel work is not shiny. Howevobject - a brooch. As the copper was die-formed, I er, art jewellery that incorporates enamel for the most assumed the Zinnia was one of many. This probability part is not yet at the level of other art jewellery, and again brought me back to the public character of graffiti as enamellists do feel somewhat marginalised. Neverthea reference source for the art piece. less, an increasing presence of exciting and experimental enamel is beginning to emerge.’ The Red Zinnia was a large piece with definite presence Jewellery Galleries for both the viewer and the wearer. It was reminiscent of a Marjorie commented on some of the American jewellery rosette, which again suggested the tension of intimacy in galleries as exhibition and selling spaces. I have a public space. Marjorie told me that the series of large, paraphrased her words: Much of the jewellery shown in colourful flower brooches had in fact evolved from her America comes from Europe and Asia, although there is designs of rosettes from old ironwork, but perhaps the some very good local narrative work. In this regard the influence of NY graffiti informed those as well. lectures and presentations at places like the the SOFA show in Chicago are very important. Art jewellery is still The red monochrome seemed to understudy the gentle, a harder sell than the immediately recognizable value of multi-directional dazzle of the brooch's lines and to generhigh carat gold and precious gems. Everyone feels it is ate a spaciousness beyond the edge of the piece. I had a an uphill battle to sell work that is outside that narrow little chuckle at the definite self-importance of the concave range, and for some people, jewellery will always be dome at the centre of the piece. The supporting silver gold, pearls, and diamonds. Most galleries have their setting and the red copper section were slightly out of work cut out for them in educating consumers/collectors register, casting a shadow effect on the underlying silver with money to substitute the artistic and conceptual surface. The gentle rub-over setting provided a sufficient value of the works of jewellery for the more and credible construction for the work. conventional contribution of precious materials.
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A few galleries eventually go for safer exclusively show art gold and gems because jewellry: Jewellers'werk that is what sells. Galerie is one of that It would be interesting to handful of top galleries obtain comparative showing people like Karl comments from different Fritsch. The jewellery is countries about the largely European, appreciation of art although she does show jewellery. In South Africa Americans like Rachelle this is certainly a nascent Thiewes, and Marjorie's field of fine art , with our work. Susan Cummins in second jewellery gallery California, whose gallery having opened only last recently closed, showed week in Johannesburg. I top quality, mostly was surprised, by a American, narrative recent study visit to the Multi-Spine necklace by Marjorie Simon work. She remains active Netherlands, to find out Copper, enamel, re-cycled African glass beads, Mura beads in the field although that despite their long Necklaces range from 45 to 53cm many of her artists have avant-garde history, Photo: Robert Diamante been picked up by jewellers there also Mobilia Gallery in struggle for recognition and value as fine artists. Cambridge, Massachusetts, which shows international In conclusion, in writing this article, I have found that artists with a strong narrative bent. A new gallery has Marjorie's words about her intentionality have gained a opened in the last few years, Sienna, owned by Sienna Patti, relevance for me. Her large energy in our field, it seems, who also shows many of the people from Susan Cummins. is indeed derived from what she calls a primal urge: Charon Kransen is a major player, a private dealer who ‘When I see something beautiful I just want to take it into exhibits at SOFA, and travels the world looking for my whole body. I often experience a work of art with my interesting and radical jewelry. He also represents mostly whole body. For jewellers, the primary referent is the body. European artists. I often say that I don’t consciously work out my life issues Marjorie's opinion is that although there is a presence of art in my work, but if I look that the work, I can always see jewellery in the United States, it can be difficult to where I have been.’ generalise about such a big country. Some galleries that Marjorielsimon@aol.com start start out wanting to show more experimental work
Fluffy Shades of Red Necklace by Marjorie Simon Vitreous enamel on copper, sterling silver 43cm long, blossoms 2.5cm diam. 2002. Photo: Ralph Gabriner
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Chris Walker's Work Combines Precision, Control and Earthiness During her Masters Degree research, Chris Walker tried sandblasting and etching cream to achieve a matt surface, but a suggestion from Tamar de Vries Winter, that she add silica to ground enamels, provided the surface Chris was trying to achieve. Chris made dozens of tests to get the right proportion of enamel to silica, eventually settling on 15% of 80 mesh silica in the enamel/silica mixture. In addition to achieving the correct amount of roughness though the use of silica, Chris also mixes opaque enamels of different colours, so that she can produce the exact shade she is looking for. Working with a small scoop, she will combine one scoop of washed and ground silica to four or six scoops of different enamels, washing the assembled ingredients. The mixture is then applied wet to the surface that Chris is enamelling. There can be up to four layers, with four firings, the number depending on how cushioned she wants her work to appear. If the surface is too bumpy after the second firing, she grinds it down. The final layer, however,is never ground, as Chris like her surfaces to be rough and ready. Matting salts take away any shine that develops during firing. After matting, the sufrace is brought back up with WD40. Cloth cannot be used to rub the surface because the fibres catch on the silica.
Wrist Cuff by Chris Walker Silver, enamel, silica 45 x 65 x 55cm
While she was taking an HND in Jewellery at Sir John Cass College and studying enamelling under Tamar de Vries Winter, Chris Walker saw Sarah Perkins' Caterpiller brooch at Studion Fusion and had the classic 'this is it' reaction to the matt surface of Sarah's brooch. For Chris, the matt surface allowed the enamel to become part of the form, rather than function as a veneer. Several years passed, however, before Chris was able to to develop her Most of Chris's pieces carry no own techniques and responses to pattern in the enamel, except what she had seen in Sarah in her bowls. For jewellery, Perkins' work. She was briefly able she produces patterns with to try some low fired enamelling, to individually enamelled units. achieve the rough matt effect that The units are pegged and she admired, but this proved spaced with tubing, and their Bowl by Chris Walker difficult because of the different edges are not protected. Silver, enamel,silica firing temperatures of the Instead, the whole con80mm diameter individual enamels. It was only struction is surrounded by a during her Master's course at Cass that Chris had the time box frame which is only in contact with the units at the to develop her own techniques and style. bottom. The sides are free, even if sometimes the dividing space is very small. In the pieces where the
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individual units are small, the units are glued to the silver base. The box frame is essenttial to the meaning of Chris's work. She says it is about being in control, while at the same time allowing the individual units to be free of a constraining edge. This is particularly exemplified in the neckpiece (see below). The silver substrate of each piece is formed into three dimensional objects by a gentle lift of the edges. The cushions created by the rounded layers of enamel elegantly occupy their space and suggest both depth and comfort. Chris discovered her interest in frames when she made a flat picture during her student work. Producing a frame for the picture gave her the idea of using the Pendant by Chris Walker Silver, enamel, silica same technique in jewellery. Not only 67 x 55cm would the work be lifted up, but Chris also liked the added weight of the extra silver and was inspired to produce the most beautifually individual strips in the oval (see above) proved crafted fittings on the back for the frames (see below right). particularly difficult, probably because there was not The units of the neckpiece actually come apart and and can enough enamel on the small pieces to bond be interchanged. The assemblage on the back of the sufficiently with the silver Although she finally neckpiece keeps the units in place, but when the wires are succeeded, Chris plans to try pre-enamelling the removed, the they are released. surface of the silver with flux, giving the silica something to settle into. Recently Chris has been working with ever smaller units, but this has caused problems with chipping. Enamelling In the future,Chris wants to experiment with working the tiny squares of the wrist cuff (see page 4, top) and the larger and cutting down into levels of enamel with a diamond burr to expose the underlying colours.
Neckpiece by Chris Walker Silver, enamel, silica 9 x 3cm
The reverse of the neck piece, which can be dissassembled and rearranged.
One of the brooches of which the neckpiece is comprised. 3 x 3cm
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Student Work Takes Enamel Into Uncharted Territories Last spring Vladimir Böhm tutored a metals class in Colour at Sir John Cass College, London. Although it was not required, many of his students chose to work in enamel. Preparatory work included experiments with colour on paper, followed by testing enamels and metal. The students were working towards a BA in Jewellery and Silversmithing, but had no previous experience of jewellery enamelling techniques.
Abstract by Patrick Sieroslawski Steel panels, fine silver, enamel, felt 25 x28cm
The surface of the two steel panels, lying on a felt cloth, was achieved by sandwiching a layer of enamel between the two pieces of steel, which were then placed in a kiln and fired for 15 minutes. When cool, the panels were prised apart. The red enamel can be seen underneath the thin grey shiny layer of steel that used to be part of the opposite panel. Homer’s ’TheOdyssey’ was the inspiration for this piece. In order to communicate with the underworld, Odysseus has to cut rectanglar pits in the earth and pour in blood. The panels are the image of the goat-blood-pit, and the silver dish represents the lake, which is another passage to the underworld. The split spoons, awkwardly shaped, indicate the pain experienced by Persephone in eating seven pomegranate seeds and thus condemning herself to remain in Hades. The silver dish also makes reference to the vessel that held the seeds. 6
Vest by Berit Balzer Fabric, felt, enamel, silver and paint Vest is approximately 25 cm wide The two figures closest to the black felt circle are silver and brown enamel. The two outer figures are painted on the vest. In order to see the figures properly, the viewer has to stand very close to the wearer. It is their function to bring about this closeness.
Berit Balzer writes: This piece is based on the relationship between what once was and what will be. I have chosen these specific colours and materials to enhance the physical experience of viewing the vest and to support the concept of Relationship - connecting, precious, fragile, vulnerable, permanent. The small size emphasises the intimacy which is created when two people engage in a relationship. Further, it suggests an intimacy between the wearer and the viewer, and a new relationship is thereby created.
Five dishes by Kelly Ralph Copper, enamel, silver plating 25cm average width
The strong, simple colours of these dishes are enriched with etched designs and the white piece has been silverplated before enamelling. Flower details were painted on with a brush to create a bit of contrast. Kelly was inspired by 1970's fabrics, Patrick Heron's paintings, and fruit. The indentations, which represent the presence of fruits, were formed on a fly press. The black areas initially occurred as burnt off enamel, but the effect reminded Kelly of shadows so she carried on, burning the enamel deliberately. 7
Wall Hanging by Ellen Monaghan Steel, magnets, enamel 2.5 ft long
This sculpture is comprised of several layers of steel, each shaped and forged individually. Some of the steel, upper left, is polished. The smaller black and white pieces are brooches, which are held on to the wall hanging with magnets and can be removed to be worn. Enamel, white and black, is fired on to all of the layers.The white lines are based on crochet forms and were applied using a riso screen. Ellen Monaghan writes: Within my work I explore the direct engagement between the maker and the wearer, the work being the vital connection. I have experimented with conventional methods of applying enamel, but through less controllable conditions I have discovered exciting finishes. I am particularly interested in the reaction of mild steel when exposed to high temperatures during the enamelling process.
Rings by Elisa Bargiacchi Flour, salt, cotton, enamel, copper Rings 3cm diameter
The flour and salt, kneaded together with water, form a paste which will harden and can be coloured with paint. Cotton has been sewn into the two lower rings while the paste was still soft. The blue and yellow enamelled figures, pressed into the soft paste, are kneeling. The red pair are in some kind of embrace. Together, the colours, materials and shapes are as expressive as fine art.
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Conference Panel Discusses the Position of Enamelling in the United States and Techniques for Promoting and Selling Enamel Work At the Enamelist Society Conference last August, a panel discussion on 'Enamel in the U.S. Market' place took place. Judy Stone moderated the discussion. Sandie Bradshaw, editor of the Northern California Enamel Guild newsletter, reported on the event in their Sept/Oct issue. The panel participants were Reed McMillan-Director of Marketing and Communications, American Craft Council; Gretchen Goss - Associate Professor and Department Chair, Enamel Department, The Cleveland Institute of Art; and Marjorie Simon, metalsmith and writer. Sandie Bradshaw writes: This was a very interesting and thought provoking discussion. I will just summarize some of the topics and points made. Judy Stone commented on several aspects of enameling in the US: Consumers are being conservative about how they are spending money. Niche markets like weddings and pets are doing fine. There are also increases in Internet sales. Enamel is becoming more visible in the marketplace, even industrial enamels. Exhibitions in print feature enamels. There are more enameling classes in continuing education although there is only one school with an enameling degree (Cleveland Art Institute in Ohio). Adjunct classes are only offered in urban areas. There are schools, however, where fine teachers have included enameling in their metals program (Linda Darty is one who comes to mind). Galleries are currently undereducated as to how to sell enamel work. The word enamel means so many things besides vitreous enamel. Most areas in the US lack ready access to tools and teaching. There is no category in most shows for enameling which means we are put into a category that is not really a fit. There is a need for advocacy and promotion in general. Marjorie Simon, studio jeweler and enamelist, was asked about the relationship of artist/gallery/public. She addressed the artists first. Their responsibility is to make the best work, deliver work on time and work with gallery owners to educate them. The gallery owners responsibility is to work with and educate the public, to publicize enameling and find a reviewer. The responsibility of the public is the love the work and wear it or display it. Addressing the questioner, Marjorie said artists should ask the gallery owners for feedback and help in showcasing artwork. The gallery owners could collaborate and share the costs of a catalogue. Get your slides ready early so you have a shot at being on a group show postcard. Look at as much work as you can, look at work that is better than what you do. You, as the artist, must educate the public about the time involved in making enamels in order to lessen the sticker shock. It is virtually impossible to make a living at one of a kind work. Gretchen Goss, educator, commented that we need to work with the prejudice that
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exists in academia against enameling. Reed McMillan, of the American Crafts Council, started out with the statement that show promoters are having trouble as well as artists. Artists need to help out by having effective mailings. These can make or break a show. They should use press releases, media packets and schmoozing to bring in an audience that spends money. The public loves to see the artist creating their artwork. Your web site is important. Exhibitors now receive sales from their web site before the show. When you find out you have been accepted into a show, immediately send out a media packet that includes press releases, artist bio (one paragraph typed), a CD of high resolution showing your work and you working in your studio, and lastly, exciting anecdotes about yourself and your work. (Reed McMillan sent out a two page questionnaire, for publicity purposes, to all artists accepted into one of his shows, and it is a sad fact only five of the questionnaires were returned.) One month prior to the show, send out a postcard to all the people on your mailing list within 100 miles of the show and 2 free entry tickets to your best customers, with a personal note. Be on your best behavior. Be attentive and kind. Be your best salesman. The public comes to meet the artist. They spend more time and money when they know you, the artist. A student said the following, concerning the prospect of an enameling career: "It doesn't seem appealing to work so hard to make so little money". Another comment was that there shouldn't be a prejudice about enameling in art shows. It should be about great work, art, design and technique - prejudice shouldn't matter. Some one asked about what to do if you get accepted into two art shows that happen at similar times. The answer from the panel was to make the decision that best for your business. Some shows will just do better for your particular art work. Avoid getting overly sentimental and develop your own unique style in your enameling to stand a better chance of getting into shows.
New Graduate: Sara Bennett At last summer’s New Designer exhibition, a plique á jour piece by Sara Bennett aroused a great deal of interest. Shown in the photograph (see below), Sara’s brooch is comprised of four layers of silver mesh, with enamel infilling only certain of the mesh’s openings. By holding the four layers one on top of the other, it is possible to see through the holes into the levels below. When the enamelled cells line up exactly, the image of a face can be seen.
The next problem she encountered was that after the lumps of enamel were ground down to the size normally used in plique á jour, they were too big for the thin sheet. But when ground down to a fine powder, the enamel did not hold in the grid unless it was applied with Klyrfire and then fired on mica. Several applications of enamel were required to fill the apertures. Sara found that she was not able to work as quickly as she would have liked. The third problem was warping, enhanced by the fact that some of the cells were left empty. This was solved by heating a swage block on the top of the kiln and, as soon as the piece was taken out of the kiln, Sara put it on the block and ironed it flat (see photograph, next page, of a test piece being flattened). Then she was faced with the issue that the fine silver was very soft. Sara had initially wanted to do the entire pixellated image on one piece of mesh, but this was just too delicate. It was at this point that Sara’s tutor, Ruth Ball, suggested that she realise the design in layers, as this would give some strength to the piece. Happily, Adobe Photoshop was able to separate the image into tonal levels, which allowed Sara to choose her own colours for the three layers of mesh.
The initial concept of this piece came from Sara Bennett’s dissertation on light, colour and transparency. Her concern was to bring the work of stained glass artists up to date in a world dependent upon computers. Using Adobe Photoshop and bearing in mind the core design element of stained glass - coloured sections - Sara pixellated a photograph. The result, she writes ‘just screamed of an idea to be worked in plique á jour; I couldn’t really believe that no one had thought of it before’.
In order to realise her concept, Sara had to do a great deal of technical development to find the Sara Bennet's four silver screens, each partially plique á appropriate sized mesh on jour enamelled so that a composit image can be seen which to apply her design. when all four are viewed together. After unsuccessfully re7 x 5cm searching perforated copper (the holes too big for the image to be read on a jewellery sized scale), she tried various grades of woven The last but one problem was that such a thin piece of silver copper mesh, but here the cell walls were too small to did not allow much stoning back. Sara had to hold the create the impression of pixels. Cutting a grid of holes enamelled mesh in the palm of her hand and stone very with a laser also was ruled out because it could not be slowly and softly. If she didn’t the enamel just fell out. This done on copper 1.5mm thick, which Sara wanted to use process was very time consuming, but Sara felt that the for the sake of strength. Finally she found the etching results were worth it. The pieces were re-fired after stoning. company Qualitetch in Cambridgeshire, who were keen to accept the challenge of producing a matrix in silver The choice of the image rendered in plique á jour also came that would take enamels. They were very helpful, even from Sara’s dissertation. Here she had investigated the very making an AutoCad drawing of the mesh requirements. bright colours of technicolour movies and the way that the But when Sara wanted the 1.5mm thick silver to have colour photographs of that era made the pictures of film stars square holes 2mm across with a wall thickness of less stand out. Scanned into Adobe Photoshop, pixellated, and than 1mm between them, she was informed that the cell divided up into tonal layers, the strong images still seemed walls would have to be the same thickness as the silver to leap out. Sara converted these tones into black and white sheet. This was a blow because Sara had read that the and then used her own colours to bring back the tonal values. preferred thickness of metal for plique á jour was at The actual image was a photograph of Audrey Hepburn. least 1.2mm.
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Flattening the partially enamelled mesh on a swage block, immediately after firing.
The design for infilling of one of layers and the finished enamelled layer.
The final problem was how to produce a brooch from the four meshes. Although she had intended to make a frame to hold the layers of enamelled screens, Sara was not able to complete this in time for the New Designers exhibition. Instead she laid the screens on top of each other and lit the plique á jour from below with a halogen bulb. The effect was startling and her work caused much comment during the exhibition. Now Sara is wondering if she should give up the idea of mounting the meshes as a brooch. This would require a strong-looking frame which might not work well
against the delicate appearance of the meshes. Instead of making a brooch, she is considering completing the piece as a sculpture and then follow up the idea with a further series of plique á jour sculptures. Sara Bennett recently graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston with a BA Hons in Jewellery Design. sara.bennett@dsl1.pipex
Book Review: Linda Darty's The Art of Enamelling Linda Darty’s book, covering the full range of standard enamelling practice along with some fringe techniques, is stunning to look at and entertaining enough to merit a place on the coffee table. The tone of Linda Darty's writing is friendly; she frequently refers to herself and addresses the reader as 'you'. A reader may well want to read through the whole book, just because the style is so enticing and the pictures unfailing beautiful, even the technical illustrations. These illustrations, showing wonderful pieces by Linda Darty and many other American and international artists, reveal that enamel can now stand alongside other categories of craft and art. Enamelling on copper is presented on an equal footing with techniques for enamelling silver and gold. Even the disparaged glass lumps, threads and beads have their own page, showing techniques and images of pieces made with these materials that might well appear in a high end gallery. Twelve pages are devoted to the techniques of sifting, and many more pages cover decals, foils, silkscreening, liquid enamels, raku, glass chips, and enamel painting techniques and media. The sections describing basse
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taille, champlevé, cloisonné, and plique á jour concentrate more on the enamelling technqiues than the metal working, although these are covered enough to give the idea of what is involved. It is as if Linda Darty leaves the reader to address problems of metal fabrication elsewhere. This is particularly the case in the Projects section. The many steps of fabrication look so easy that beginners might be unprepared for the practice required. The sections are interspersed with various fascinating side bars: Fast Facts, Helpful Hints, Historical Highlight, and Hot Tips. Enamellers used to working in a particular area would of course be able to add to Linda Darty's clear and detailed technical descriptions, but every enameller discovers new effects and techniques unique to thermselves. That, after all, is the nature of enamelling. The Art of Enamelling can be purchaced from Amazon, www.amazon.co.uk, from Cooksons - Exchange, 49 Hatton Garden, London (020 7400 6500, www.cooksongold.com), Master Craftsmen Publications Ltd, 01273 477374, www.gmcpublicatinos.com. It is published by Lark Books, ISDN 1-57990-507-2.
Gillie Hoyte Byrom Painting Wins Prize in South West Academy Exhibition A painted enamel portrait by Gillie Hoyte Byrom was winner of the prize for ‘Painting and Drawing’ at the South West Academy Exhibition*, a prestigious event now in its sixth year. The substantial prize was awarded by M Baker (Property Services). Gillie writes: ‘Annabel is one of three sisters whose portraits I have painted for their mother. She was a very difficult sitter because she was so fidgety and self-conscious and that's why she's looking away, but I also wanted to highlight her high cheekbones. Annabel is a natural girl who likes the outdoor life - hence the simple jersey flung around shoulders. Her mother was a bit cross that she hadn't bothered to go to the hairdresser before the sitting, but actually this is typical Annabel. ’ The pink background is copper shining through Soyer Opal 101. The portrait was enamelled on copper at the request of the client. Gillie also enamels on gold, which produces a sense of gold colour in the painting. In the case of copper, warping becomes an issue after approximately 15 firings, whereas a gold substrate can keep its shape for twice as long. Gillie, who often paints on gold, therefore had far fewer firings than usual in which to achieve the details of the Annabel's image. *The South West Academy is open to artists who live and work in the South West and beyond. Contact Fiona Baxter, tel 01392 667 081.
Annabel by Gillie Hoyte Byrom Painting enamel on copper, hand made gilt frame 2.5 x 2 inches
gillie@byroms.co.uk www.enamelportraitminiatures.co.uk
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Editor Pat Johnson 51 Webbs Road London SW11 6RX 020 7228 0011 pat.johnson@enamel.demon.co.uk