In love with enamels...

Last year, I learned to torch-fire copper pieces with Thompson un-leaded enamels, and I was instantly smitten. For someone who loves every process related to metal - banging on it, heating it, folding it, piercing it - the addition of color was a heady prospect. And torch-firing is just the kind of muscular, instant-gratification process I am drawn to.

Vintage copper stampings with torch-fired enamels

Then, for Christmas, my best friend gave me this amazing book.

Amazing book - go buy it!

So, first of all, if you have any interest in enameling at all, The Art of Enameling by Linda Darty must become part of your studio library. As in "not negotiable." It is comprehensive in scope, detailed and thorough in its explanations, and filled with stunning photographs. Seriously - you need this book in your library. One of these days, I'll post a more thorough review, but the Cliff notes version is this: Awesome. Buy it. (Non-affiliate link - I just think this book rocks.)

As if I don't have enough techniques on my plate to work on perfecting, I began to long for an opportunity to try my hand at kiln-firing enamels. I adore the organic results that are possible with torch firing, but the back side of every piece is inevitably scorched from the direct contact with the flame, and I was envisioning a combination of the two techniques: torch-fired front side with kiln-fired counter-enamel on the reverse. And then a great deal on a Jen-Ken enameling kiln fell into my lap, and I jumped at it.

Mine is similar to this but also has a door in the front for accessing the firing area for enamels.

We're in the process of readying our house for sale, and I'm reluctant to take the time now to make the studio changes necessary for a kiln enameling center, so the kiln is sitting in my garage and I'm left trolling Pinterest. I can't stop thinking about it, so I thought I'd share some of the inspiring pieces I've stumbled across in the last few weeks.

Ruth Ball Enamel Design (source: Pinterest)

I love everything about these - the colors, the metal work, the movement. And I love that while each of these is similar, each is unique with its own distinct feel - and the settings are clearly handmade and designed for the piece.

Angela Gerhard (source: Pinterest)

Reds are a finicky color in enamels - quirky, hard to fire true, and prone to failing if all the elements aren't precisely right. Angela uses red a lot in her work, and always successfully. I am very fond of this trapezoidal shape and the gorgeous soft matte finish on the red is terrific. (Note also the gradation on the black and red piece - wow.)

Carly Wright (source: Daily Art Muse)

Carly Wright's website is one of those places where it's possible to wander and linger for a very long time. Her work is so unusual and beautiful, and I love both her artist's statement (which is simple and without the self-reverential tone of many I have read) and her explanation of her process. The Daily Art Muse article where I found her work described her as "painterly" and I think it fits.

Beth Novak (source: Beth Novak)

Every single thing about Beth's work sings to me. Her metalwork is gritty and organic, and the enamels she adds to each piece are crisp and specific.

So these are the things I'm drooling over these days - and, if I'm being honest, I am at once certain I will never ascend to these heights and hopeful I might make something that approaches this beauty. The kiln in my garage is impatient to get started. And, I suppose, so am I.

What about you? What new technique is calling your name??

Until next time!