Riso Screen

Linda and I had a fabulous day at the workshop for the region with the Guild of Enamellers. We are never to old to learn new things and Bonnie Macintosh came along to show us how to use riso screens.
This was a first for Linda and I and I must say a big thank you to Linda as she took photocopies along and some blanks already enamelled for us to work on. We had been given such short notice of what we needed to take that I'd never have got anything with me.
The people were very friendly and helpful and we learned such a lot that I think we'll be going again. That's the lovely thing about enamelling, no matter how long you have been doing it for there is always something new to see and to some new technique to learn.
Photos will follow shortly.

All things Silver

It was Silver Clay jewellery making day at the studio yesterday. Linda and Shelagh make beautiful silver jewellery but had never used Silver Art Clay before so booked on a day's course.
Linda had been talking about the course to someone at a china painting exhibition she went to and Mary turned up and decided to stay for the day too.

We started the day making a pendant and rolled out the clay. We then used sweet cutters to make a shape and added decoration.

Linda made a teardrop shape and added small rolled balls of clay to her design.

Shelagh can be seen putting the finishing touches to her pendant, before firing it. She had cut out a triangle and added thin strips of clay as decoration.

Mary was hard at work on a similar design to Linda's pendant. She had cut out her shape and added small balls of clay to finish it off.

We then went on to use silver clay paste and painted it over leaves several times, this shows all the small tiny veins in the silver when it is fired.

I demonstrated making a ring and Mary chose to do this project after lunch while Shelagh made earrings to match her pendant and Linda did another beautiful pendant by making a triangle then folding the sides onto each other which made a cone type shape.

It was Linda's birthday and her husband had made a rather yummy cake which she brought along and then I totally embarrased her by getting everyone singing 'Happy Birthday' - sorry Linda but I do work in a school and it is sung to everyone in the dinner hall, no matter how old you are - secret is ... don't let on it's your birthday when I'm around.

We finished the day by enamelling a piece of copper and then laying some very fine pieces of silver art clay on top and firing into the enamel. We nearly had a disaster as a piece came off Shelagh's but she moved it around, refired it and it looked really good.

I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and I hope the girls did too.