3 months since I last posted, wow, doesn't time fly by.  Here are some of the things I've been doing in recent months.

 

Had a fabulous time on 2 of Ruth Ball's workshops held at the Big Peg in Birmingham.  First one was a workshop on cloisonné.  The piece I chose to do was taken from a picture I had seen on the web of some materials.  I'd been looking for pics of ripples and came across the one in the background and as you can see this is what I based my design on.  Below is the finished piece.

 

Ruth Ball Workshop 

 

 

Design taking shape - cloisonné wires resting on design drawn onto tracing paper and held in place with sticky back plastic.

Stoned back to a matt finish

I loved the effect and this was in the final glossy state before I decided to do a mat finish



I completed these painted samples on the second workshop. 

This was one of Ruth's pieces but she asked me to paint a design onto the surface and then let me keep it.



Work in progress using sunshine enamels.  I was pleased with the end result but couldn't get a good picture.

Studio

Spent a day in the studio making ear-rings.  I love the effect I got using different blues.  I'll finish them off tomorrow

 

Just spent a fantastic weekend at Guild of Enamellers Conference, Queen Ethelburga's College, Thorpe Underwood Estate, York.  We were first there 4 years ago and the whole place is still very impressive.
I'll add some photos over the next few days but here's one of the plaques I made from a screen at the tutorial given by Dorothy Cockerell.

 

The weekend seemed to fly past but we crammed such a lot in.  The day tutorials are wonderful and so inspiring.  The retiring Chair always gives a theme for the following year and this time it is 'Communication'.  I have so many ideas whizzing round in my head that I can't wait to get to the studio to try them out.

 

The highlight of the weekend for me was being awarded Associate Craftsman of the Guild of Enamellers.  We have to put 6 pieces of enamelling up for selection and 3 selectors look at your work and judge how well you have enamelled the pieces.  There were 4 of us who put in for selection and we all gained Associate leve.  Needless to say we were delighted.  I do have some pics on my 'facebook' page  if you want to pop over and take a look but I will be posting some here on my blog.

 

 

Beginners workshop at the studio today with Felicity, Jane and Ursula.  Huge thank you again to Linda who came along to help out.

Felicity filing her copper to remove a burr, Jane wet packing her design

Linda explaining capiliary action to Felicity after wet laying enamel onto her design

Ursula seeing if the wires fit onto her design

Jane coiling wire ready to go onto her design

Felicity sifting flux onto the front of her piece of copper

Linda looking on as Jane is about to take out her piece of enamel

Linda giving a helping hand, it looks hot

Ursula steadying her hand to put her piece of copper in the kiln

Using carborundum stone to clean the copper design

The final result - finished pendants
Everyone did brilliantly

 

A fab day at the regional meeting of the Guild of Enamellers. Maureen Carswell demonstrated torch firing and then we all had a go at doing it ourselves.  I loved it and even though my two pieces weren't brilliant I was pleased with my first attempts at torch firing.  A great day.

Maureen demonstrating torch firing

Adding colour

 Embossing

 My first pieces after adding white enamel and then firing

 Several transparent colours added and then torch fired

Jane torch firing her bowl