STILL EXPERIMENTING

I am still playing with the enamel, still treating the making of these pieces like sketch book pages.

Layers of ivory coloured enamel over sgraffito through grey grip coat.

Stoning back through the layers to reveal the drawing.

Then adding the Victorian transfers and screen printed detail.

Thanks to my friend Brian who let me have these unnamed relatives and the post card messages.

 

I have now used up my Victorian photos, so perhaps my work will move in a different direction?

IF YOU CAN...

In between mucking about with enamel I am continuing to make collagraph prints.

A new Andalusian Bantam, feisty, yet with a chintzy edge.

An edition to my tropical bird collection, carborundum and polyfilla inked up in Blue Black ink.

Pass the Guinness!

MORE LOST RELATIVES

The snow was beautiful last week, but I had to cancel workshops all over the place, but this left me with space in my head to experiment with enamel.

These compositions are about 15cms x 9cms,

I have used ceramic steel as a substrate,

stoned back enamel

and transfers.

This has a pocket watch and raku fired section attached to it.

 

I am still treating these like sketch book pages, over laying, adding and scraping back. I find it fascinating making what feels like a substantial piece, but using sketch book processes.

SNOW WEEKEND

The snow stopped play this weekend as I was due to run a sketch book workshop at Hampen. Rather than risk everyone travelling I have postponed it to March.

So I have spent the weekend experimenting in my icicle edged shed.

These experiments in enamel are still like sketch book pages,

not quite resolved,

a bit rough around the edges. But I am pleased with the iridescence I am achieving with the raku fired copper and the success rate with firing on the digital transfers.

I have decided to experiment with backgrounds for the Ladies and Gentlemen,

then popped into a frame, adds an extra dimension.

 

 

BUTTONED UP!

I have been having a bit of a play inspired by an email I got from Pat Johnson from the BSOE.

There is a call for entries to artists and makers for The Button Project in Macclesfield.

All the information can be found at http://www.barnabyfestival.org.uk/news/call-entries-%E2%80%98-button-project%E2%80%99-exhibition

I love buttons and the idea of an exhibition about buttons in June sounds fantastic. It will be in the Macclesfield Silk Museum as part of the Barnaby Festival. 

So what would be more appropriate than moth buttons for a silk museum?

I can't wait to see this exhibition, June seems such a long way away as the snow falls outside.

FROSTY HAMPEN

The snow has set in here in Cheltenham causing mayhem...how does Scandinavia cope?

But on Wednesday Hampen Factory where I teach printmaking

was a bejewelled winter wonderland.

So pretty.

So inspiring.

COLOUR?

Pat Johnson from the British Society of Enamellers has been interviewing me about my work for their on line magazine. www.enamellers.org

 One of the questions I was asked was,

" Looking at your pictures, I see that at least two of the images are in colour, but they all look black and white. Are you only using black and white enamels?"

I don't know that it was this question that prompted me to spend today working in my new sketch book, 11 x 15cms?

Or the trip to Bovey Tracy delivering work for the Get Fresh exhibition, www.crafts.org.uk

where I was inspired by the ceramic work of Clare Mahoney?

Or is it a left over from the Christmas decorations that are now coming down?

Or perhaps a new colourful me for 2013? We'll see!!