10.28.19 Hot Fun in the Summertime - Cloisonne Enamel, Part 1

One of the best things about CSJA -
classes are always set up and ready to go

Meteorological "fall" began the same mid-September week I took cloisonne enameling class with Ricky Frank - and the daytime highs hit 100 here in Austin.   Thank goodness for AC, not just for the outside temp, but because in the studio we had multiple kilns running at roughly 1400 degrees Fahrenheit for fusing glass.

Since then, actual fall has started to arrive...but I digress...

I'd wanted to take Ricky's class at Creative Side Jewelry Academy for several years - especially since learning about his connection to some dear friends and subsequently receiving a piece of his jewelry as a gift - but the timing just never seemed to line up.

This year the dates worked and I was all set to take the class in May - however - Ricky needed to reschedule. Finally, in September it all came together, and I had a fabulous time learning the basics of cloisonne enamel from a true master along side some wonderful fellow students.

Ricky demonstrating use of the kiln
Photo credit: Creative Side Jewelry Academy

From the first day of class, Ricky made clear that he wanted us to understand both the science behind how glass enamel works as well as techniques for creating our own individual pieces.

He was especially clear that while there are right and wrong ways to do things like using equipment and tools, this is not true for creating.  Short of having the enamel not to fuse to the piece (that actually happened with some of the copper ovals) there are no failures - only results.


With these principles laid out, we started learning some very basic - but important - steps in creating cloisonne.

Copper blanks with and
without base enamel

Before beginning any piece, you have to prepare the metal base.  This involves coating both the front and back of the form (in this case, copper) with enamel.  The top layer (where the cloisonne will be created) requires only a single layer, but the back of the piece needs several layers of "counter enamel" to ensure that the piece will heat and cool (and thus, expand and contract) at the same rate, so that as additional layers are added on the front, they don't crack.

This was just one of many times Ricky emphasized the importance of understanding the science behind the process rather than just telling us what to do.


With a blank prepared, we started to learn about just what it is that makes certain pieces just "enamel", and others "cloisonne" - and the answer is: wire.  The addition of just one wire to the surface of the piece (creating shapes or cells for colored enamel) turns it into cloisonne.

To get started, we all made a simple piece divided into four sections to experiment with different applications.

Although it doesn't look like much - this little exercise involved bending wires, positioning and then fusing them into the enamel before experimenting with application techniques...and we were just getting started.

I'll stop here for now (at the end of the first day) - stay tuned for more installments.



Until next time.

10.14.19 I Feel Lucky

During basketball season I wore my UVa pendant and earrings a lot, and posted pictures to a Facebook fan group in a discussion of lucky charms...as a result, several folks asked if they could buy earrings or a version of the pendant - so I said yes to both.


I found a source for blue, white and orange glass cabochons, and set about making a couple of custom pendants.



About a month ago, I got a call from my college roommate; she asked if I wanted to meet her in Chicago, and get on an alumni bus to go to South Bend, Indiana to see our alma mater, UVa, take on Notre Dame in football.  Her husband had received a pair of tickets to the game, but couldn't go, so I said SURE! and proceeded to make hotel and airline reservations.

I also decided to make an extra pendant as a birthday gift for her, and took it with me.

Notre Dame had the luck of the Irish on their side for the game, but every other aspect of the weekend was a reflection of my good fortune.

For starters, there was the weather - I didn't have any trouble flying from Austin, but shortly after I landed, it turned dark and stormy, and lots of folks coming in for the weekend were delayed.  Since we both arrived on time, we were able to have dinner with another longtime friend who lives in Chicago, at a fabulous place in Little Italy.




By Saturday morning the storms had cleared, and we got on a charter bus with lots of other alumni and headed to South Bend.  When we arrived, we were greeted by lots of blue and orange at a fabulous tailgate.  We then proceeded to visit old friends and make new ones over beers and burgers before heading to the stadium.



We had great seats (even if we were surrounded by folks cheering for Notre Dame) - and although they didn't win, our Hoos held their own against the Irish and their VERY LOUD fans.

It was a fabulous weekend, filled with fun, good food, and a chance to spend time with people who mean a lot to me. It also gave me to time to pause, and more than anything else, I was reminded of how fortunate I am...


to have had the opportunity to attend college - especially a great state school like the University of Virginia - where I made friendships that I now measure in decades;

to be able to drop everything and dash off to spend a weekend with those fabulous people;


and to have the opportunity to continue learning at Creative Side as a metalsmith.

Sometimes, with all the difficult things going on in the world, it is wonderful to be reminded of how much there is to be celebrated.

Until next time.