This is a project I worked on last Wednesday night in my enameling class. To show students how to apply enamel onto copper [...]]]> I really enjoy teaching my Wednesday night enameling classes. I never know how my pieces will look when they are done, so its always an adventure.

This is a project I worked on last Wednesday night in my enameling class. To show students how to apply enamel onto copper objects, I began this little planter project. This is the piece with powdered enamel applied. It’s ready for firing.

After firing, I applied an orange color to the outside of the planter. It looks brilliant at this stage, but the glass is still just powder dusted onto the copper and adhered with klyr-fire, which will vaporize in the kiln as the glass melts.

Whoa! This was a surprise. Apparently, I did something wrong in applying the enamel, and most of the orange color fell off. The black areas are bare copper. Notice how much darker the glass is after firing. Enamels are always changing as you work with them. The more I looked at it, the more I liked the patterns. What to do next???

I decided to apply a transparent red over the orange, leaving the bare copper alone. This is a departure from my normal technique, but I hope for a dramatic effect!

Well, here it is after firing! Good coverage of enamel this time, and I like the contrasting colors. I have quite a few more firings to do to take care of details, but this planter is coming along nicely.

Here, you can see the inside, too. I like the dramatic color contrasts. I’ll post more pictures as I work on it!

My workbench at the Cultural Arts Center, a congratulatory bottle of wine from the director for our high enrollments (thank you, Jennifer!), a pile of spoon bowls fresh off the polishing wheel, and asphaltum covered bullets on their way to the etching solution. All the bare metal designs you see will be eaten [...]]]>

My workbench at the Cultural Arts Center, a congratulatory bottle of wine from the director for our high enrollments (thank you, Jennifer!), a pile of spoon bowls fresh off the polishing wheel, and asphaltum covered bullets on their way to the etching solution. All the bare metal designs you see will be eaten away, leaving an indellible pattern on the bullets. They’ll make their debut at Craftin Outlaws Saturday, October 15th!

Check it out! I got a great used foredom flex shaft, and I’m just now breaking it in I love foredom machines – they are the best. I bought my last one used many years ago, and it never broke down. It just needed some brushes, some new shafts, and some lubrication now [...]]]>

Check it out! I got a great used foredom flex shaft, and I’m just now breaking it in I love foredom machines – they are the best. I bought my last one used many years ago, and it never broke down. It just needed some brushes, some new shafts, and some lubrication now and then. Now my old one will be up for grabs to all my jewelry friends. I have a new object of my affection.

Here’s a close up for you… This puppy was made in 1979! It wasn’t running very good, but I bought it anyway, hoping that it just needed some lubrication. When I got it home, I greased the shafts and oiled the motor. Runs like a champ now. Yes, I’m in tool heaven!

Okay, I should be sleeping, but I have to blog before I go to bed. Here’s my booth at the Granville Art Affair. What a nice show! A handsome Dennison football player named Blake helped me set up my new (used) tent and booth design.  Thank you, Blake!!!! I’ve improved my backdrop, adding pure silk drapes and some new displays. My [...]]]>

Okay, I should be sleeping, but I have to blog before I go to bed. Here’s my booth at the Granville Art Affair. What a nice show! A handsome Dennison football player named Blake helped me set up my new (used) tent and booth design.  Thank you, Blake!!!! I’ve improved my backdrop, adding pure silk drapes and some new displays. My new spoon pendants were a big hit. I pierced designs into them with a fine jeweler’s saw. I finished the bunch of grapes mentioned earlier, and also did the dragon fly and bird. Yes! I put a bird on it and called it art – because it is. I look forward to tomorrow, the last day of the show. Graville is such a charming town. I can see why this art fair draws such a great crowd!

In just a few hours, I will be setting up my booth at the Granville Art Affair and Wine Festival at the Bryn Du Mansion in Granville, Ohio.

So, of course I am furious working at my bench to finish just a few more pieces to offer at the show! I’m sure [...]]]>

In just a few hours, I will be setting up my booth at the Granville Art Affair and Wine Festival at the Bryn Du Mansion in Granville, Ohio.

So, of course I am furious working at my bench to finish just a few more pieces to offer at the show! I’m sure I’ll finish my homage to the theme of our festival, a bunch of grapes on the vine. It is a spoon bowl pendant with the handle bent around into a bail. I am finely sawing out each grape by hand. I’ve already done the stems and some of the grapes. What do you think my treatment of this vintage spoon? Next, I’ll pierce a dragon fly into a spoon. Not sure if I can get any more done before tomorrow. The weather looks like it will be great – not too hot, so I’m super excited about this weekend! Hope to see you there!