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Enameling: Cloisonne
Learn the ancient art of enameling from a true master, Linda Darty. Discover ways to use transparent and opalescent enamel colors to create depth and luminosity on copper, fine silver, or silver metal clay surfaces. We will focus on blending colors to achieve value gradations, creating matt or gloss finishes for optimum clarity of colors. Topics covered will also include use of cloisonné wire, foils, sifting, washing and storing enamel and soldering and metal fabrication as it relates to enameling. During the course students can create small jewelry pieces, or samples, investigating cloisonne and wet inlay techniques that interest them most. This class will allow both beginners and those with experience to work at their own level.
Meet the instructor
Linda is a jewelry and enameling professor at East Carolina University and founder/ director of their ECU Tuscany study abroad program, where she currently lives and teaches. She has an extensive international exhibition record, is the author of The Art of Enameling, and frequently teaches workshops on enameling in this country and abroad. Linda is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for research from East Carolina University, the Board of Governors Award for teaching excellence and the Life -Time Achievement Award from The Enamelist Society. Her work is in public and private collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Art and Design in NYC, Yale University Art Gallery, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts and the Crocker Art Museum.
Materials & Tools
- For those who would like to purchase a sample kit of Japanese lead bearing enamels and a paintbrush, the cost will be $55.00, which is payable directly to the instructor on the first day of class. The kit will include about 24 different Ninomya transparent enamel samples. Students are certainly welcome to bring their own enamels and enameling supplies, or use the supplies at Metalwerx. It is not necessary to purchase the kit.
- Students are asked to supply their own metal, and can work on either copper or fine silver (or both.) Linda will have a small amount of silver and copper for purchase if necessary. Linda recommends either 18–22 gauge metal. 22 gauge is fine for small, formed pieces, and will result in a piece that is lighter weight. But for larger pieces, or pieces that will not be dapped or formed at all, 18 gauge is less likely to warp.
- Linda will also have cloisonné wire, small paintbrushes, and silver foil for those who need to purchase them, but students may bring their own as well.
Any favorite enamels, brushes, enameling supplies and hand tools if desired. Here is a suggested list:
- Pencils (you might like to also have colored pencils for designing)
- Sharpie fine tip marker
- Small, sharp embroidery type scissors
- Tracing paper and sketchbook
- At least 12 small containers for washing enamels (spice, small condiment cups, etc)
- Water color tray or a dozen plastic spoons - that can be covered (with lid or tin foil)
- Sharp, pointed, clean tweezers for handling cloisonne wire
- Eyedropper- cheap one from the drug store
- Safety dust mask (good one…I like a 3M-#8233 -available from Allcraft) and plastic bag to store it
- Copper sheet if you wish to work on copper- a variety of gauges 18-22ga.
- Fine silver if you wish to work on silver (anything from 18-22 ga.)
- Cloisonne wire if you have it and wish to do cloisonné (I will bring some to sell)
- Silver or Gold foil if you want to use that (I will have some for sale)
- 000 paintbrush for inlaying enamel (I will have some for sale)
- A small plastic spoon or tiny scooping tool for transferring enamel from jars
- 320, 400 and 600 grit wet/dry sanding paper for finishing cloisonné surfaces
- Metalwerx has the following, but you can bring your own:
- Small hand towel
- Green nylon scouring pad for cleaning metal
- 6” flat hand file, any cut (simply for filing edges of copper sheet)