Summer 2007

This annual competition has a remit to ‘encourage,stimulate and promote the pursuit of excellence incraftsmanship and design amongst all those in theUnited Kingdom engaged in Silversmithing,Goldsmithing, Jewellery and the Allied Crafts.’ 2007was a really strong year for enamellers, with tenawards for enamelled jewellery.

In the Design Section: Finished Pieces, Ruth Jackson(at Edinburgh College of Art) won a Gold Award forher enamelled silver and rubber collapsible ring inthe Fashion Production Jewellery category. PhilBarnes won a Commended Award for his gold, silverand enamel necklace in the Fine Jewellery category,and Jane Moore won a Commended Award forTechnical Innovation in her use of computer-aideddesign in her enamel and ceramic transferproduction jewellery.

In the Craft Enamellers section, Phil Barnes won theGold Award for his enamelled silver & goldnecklace with moonstone & pearls. Rachel Gogerlywon a Silver Award for her silver and enamel mirror,and Rachel Emmerson, Ruth Jackson, Melissa Rigbyand Regina Aradesian each won CommendedAwards for their enamelled silver jewellery (seepages 2 and 3.) In the Diamond Mounters category,

Enamels Excel at the 2007 Goldsmiths’Craftsmanship and Design Awards

Gillie Hoyte Byrom’s enamel painting receivesthree top awards at this major event and manyother enamellers are also recognized.

The Goldsmiths’ Craftsman-ship and Design Awards2007 A report by Melissa Rigby

“Henry VIII 1537 after cartoon for lost fresco in Whitehallby Hans Holbein the Younger.”Researched and painted by Gillie Hoyte Byrom 2006Gold and vitreous enamel on 18ct. gold plaque, set in 18ctgold and silver frame.85 mm x 145 mm

Katherina Hali Baykov won a Commended Awardfor her enamelled silver, gold and gemstonebutterfly fan brooch.

However, it was Gillie Hoyte Byrom who reallystole the show with her magnificent paintedenamel miniature of Henry VIII from a Cartoon byHans Holbein the Younger. This was such a tour deforce that she not only received a Gold Award inthe Enamel Painters category (the only award givenin this section this year), but also The Best SeniorAward (which comes with a prize of £1000). Andif that wasn’t enough, Gillie was also awarded TheJacques Cartier Memorial Award, the premier craftaward of the show. This is given at the discretion ofthe council for exceptional and outstandingcraftsmanship. It is only awarded when, in thecouncil’s judgement, an entry achieves a standardto justify the honour. The winner of the award hastheir name inscribed in the Jacques CartierMemorial Gold Book and also receives a valuable

Fan Brooch by Hali Baykov (shown in closedand open position)Silver (main piece) and gold (the rivits and pin),sapphires, and enamel; engraved, a mixture ofchamplevé and cloisonnéClosed 1.25 inches wide, 1.75 inches high;when open, it is 3 inches wide

gold replica of the book and a cash prize of £1,500.Sadly, Gillie was not able to attend the awardsceremony, so missed her ‘Oscars moment’ and therapturous applause for her incredible achievement.But Gillie’s mother was there to collect her awards forher, and the look of pride and elation on her face wasa real joy to behold.

Regina Aradesian, who graduated from Central StMartins in 2006, in addition to having beencommended in the Goldsmiths’ Awards EnamelledJewellery section, has also been accepted to show herwork in Goldsmiths’ Fair 2007. She as been offered afree stand and a grant to take part in the occasion.

The piece that won the award was featured in the Sept2006 newsletter, page 8, and so is not pictured here.You can see new pieces of Regina’s recent jewelleryon www.aradesijewellery.com.

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Mirror by Rachel GogerlyHand engraved silver, enamelled both sides, mirror6cm diameter

Enamelled Necklace by Phil BarnesSilver with gold detail, grey moonstone, pearlsThe central section shown is 60mm across.

(Gillie has informed me that though she was regrettably out of thecountry during the awards ceremony. On her return she was kindlyinvited to attend a small but meaningful ceremony at Goldsmiths'Hall which gave her a special sense of the occasion. Ed.)

Ring by Ruth JacksonSilver, enamel, and rubber2.5 x 2.5cm

Louise Richards Receives Award at the 20th International CloisonnéJewellery Contest in Japan

Erosion necklace by Louise RichardsSilver, gold, enamel, gold foil, labradorite7.5 x3cm

Necklace by Jane MooreSilver, enamel, transfer designsThe group shown is 8cm in length

Enamelled sterling silver necklace by Melissa RigbyTurquoise, lapis lazuli and coral beadsNecklace: 490mm long; the enamelled box bead (acidetched and engraved): 44 x 34 x 8mm.

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The ‘Award for Encouragement’ was given to LouiseRichard’s for her Erosion necklace in this year’s 20thInternational Cloisonné Jewelry Contest, the JapanShippo Conference Juried Exhibition. Since thenecklace was one of her more experimental pieces,Louise was surprised to receive the prize. She hadetched the silver deeply, utilising the resulting textureunder the enamel. After adding gold foil, she thenmatted the surface. With no real plans when shestarted the piece, Louise responded to what happenedduring the various processes and says that the awardwill ensure that she works more freely in the future.

Leaf and Feather Pendants by Rachel Emmerson; 2006Britannia Silver and enamel: champlevé and basse taille:eaf: 52 x 13mm; Feather 35 x 15mm

Judy Stone: Using Enamel toIntegrate Surface and Form

When designing a piece, Judy first thinks about the form. She is striving for a balance witha bit of tension in certain unresolved places. She writes: ‘I know I will be letting the formmove with the heat as it is fired, so my construction always takes that movement intoaccount. On the other hand, I also want to make sure that the construction will not allowfor movement after the vessel is enamelled. Once the idea for the form of the vessel issettled, Judy works mainly with the copper, using the techniques of raising, spinning,and/or working with an hydraulic press (she finds that she can press form 16 to 18 gaugecopper). Judy does some hand raising, but she has a friend who spins bowls to herspecifications: she hopes to learn to spin her own in the near future. She finishes theshape by deconstructing it (taking it apart) with a plasma cutter, (http://www.plasma-cutter.com/) and by drilling holes. She then re-constructs the form with copper wire andcopper rivets.

Judy shapes the form as she goes and does no drawing until after the form is complete.

Burnt Offering XVI by Judy StoneSpun copper, vitreous enamel, copper rivets and wire, silver foil6.5” diameter, 3” deepPhoto credit: Ralph Gabriner

Starting with a spun bowl, Judy Stone employs a range ofsilversmithing and enamelling procedures to create vesselsthat are unique and evocative - perhaps of the NativeAmerican cultures in the southwestern United States, whereshe grew up. Here Judy discusses her techniques.

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Burnt Offering XIX by Judy StoneCut, riveted, and sewn enamelled copper vessel formVitreous enamel, spun copper, copper rivets, copper wire, silver foil8” diameter, 6” deepPhoto credit: Doug Yaple

The base coat for Judy’s vessels is liquid white Thompson 533, into which she carves hersgraffito designs. This is followed by a sifted layer of lead free transparents over all thesurfaces. Next follows several layers of many different enamels, floated into place with water:leaded and unleaded, hard and soft, and with different particle sizes. A sifted covering ofBlythe flux C10 acts as ‘an evener’ for what, as Judy says, could be very disparate colours inany given layer. Judy often uses 325 mesh Thompson opaques because they are verytranslucent when applied thinly.

Judy writes: ‘When I begin the enamelling, I have already considered how the drawn linesand colours will coordinate with the metal form. In fact it is the form that suggests theenamelling, although sometimes I have to wait for months before I receive the right feel forthe totality of a piece. I don’t succeed every time, which makes for an interesting life!’

Discussing the concept behind her work, Judy says: ‘Theimagery is always self-referential and I refuse todeconstruct or interpret it. By ‘self-referential’ I meanthat the imagery comes from somewhere inside me andis something to do with my reality. But I let the imagerydevelop by itself, which it tends to do; I just feel like anenabler.

I always begin with a line, which leads to more lines,which in turn lead to negative space. After the piece isfinished, I name it. The name can refer to the process Iwent though during the making, or refer to a place thatthe vessel evokes. When I am enamelling, although I amadding a surface, I feel that I am peeling away layers ofform to get to something that I feel I have exposed. In ahundred years, long after I am gone, perhaps someone

may ‘discover’ these pieces and figure out what theymean and meant. But for the present I struggleconstantly with the feeling that everything I do andhence all that I am is inconsequential.’

When Judy first started enamelling, she was onlyenamelled sporadically while she pursued anothercareer. During this time she began seeing the forms sheuses now in her dreams, but she had no idea how tomake them. Then, as her career in enamellingdeveloped, she realised that sculptural vessel formswould serve her well with exhibition juries. As shebegan to consciously design for this purpose, sherealised that she was making the pieces that she haddreamed about thirty years previously.

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Less is More by Judy Stone8 inch diameter, 3 1/4 inches deepCut, riveted, enamelled copper vessel formVitreous enamel, spun copper, copper tube rivets, silkscreened silver foilPhoto Credit: Ralph Gabriner

After the enamelling is finished, Judy glass etches the entire piece with Etchall, made by B&Bproducts (www.etchall.com). This gives a matte finish, which she then thoroughly cleans, takingspecial care around the sewn parts. Then she starts to work toward her desired surface. She startswith 800 grit diamond cloth (usually as an impregnated rubber form so as not to make deepscratches in the enamel). Then she works with 800 grit silicon carbide paper, moving throughincremental grits to either 1800 or 2000, depending on how the surface looks and feels. For Judy,the tactility is more important that the look of the piece. She works only by hand so that she canfeel what is happening beneath her fingers and, at this time, she has a very intimate relationshipto the piece. Sometimes, in order to get into the wire areas, Judy uses 3M radial bristle discsmounted on a flexible shaft, but this is the only occasion in which she employs anythingmechanical when finishing her vessels. Judy knows that will always be areas of depression in theenamelled surface that are not polished, but this is all right with her because ever since she hasbeen enamelling she has been fascinated with texture and finds she abhors perfectly flat surfaces.

Judy Stone first began enameling in 1968, whilestudying in Germany on a Fulbright scholarship.She began enameling professionally in 1972 andhas studied with some of the United State’s mostprominent enamelists including Bill Helwig,Margaret Seeler, Jamie Bennett, William Harperand Martha Banyas. The late Fred Ball'sexperimental techniques have been a veryimportant influence. Her enamels are shown in theUnited States at crafts fairs and galleriesspecializing in fine crafts and she has exhibited inenamel exhibitions both in the U.S. and in Europe.Judy also teaches enameling throughout the

United States. She is a member of the NorthernCalifornia Enamel Guild and The EnamelistSociety, currently serving on the board oftrustees, managing the Society's web site and isactive in organizing Society exhibitions andconferences. She has written technical chaptersfor 2 books: The Art of Fine Enameling , ed.Karen L. Cohen; Enameling with Professionals,ed. Lilyan Bachrach. Her work is currentlyappearing in the book, Craft of NorthernCalifornia, published by Alcove Books.www.jstonenamels.com

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“Playing With Fire” : an Exhibition of Contem-porary Enamel to be held at the Devon Guild ofCraftsmen’s Jubilee Gallery

The British Society of Enamellers and the Devon Guild ofCraftsmen are proud to announce a major juried exhibitionof contemporary UK enamelling to take place at the DevonGuild in September 2008. The exhibition will travel toother important venues nationally, and possibly inter-nationally.

‘Playing With Fire’ will be a fantastic opportunity forenamellers across the United Kingdom to show off thewealth and diversity of enamelling talent and practicethroughout the country.

The aim of this exhibition is to raise the appreciation ofenamelling and to show the work of the best contemporaryenamellers in the UK. A wide range of enamelling will berepresented, showing a variety of techniques, bothhistorical and experimental, and work which emphasizesthe role played by the intentions of the artists.

All enamellers working in the UK are invited to make asubmission to be included in this exhibition. A panel ofselectors will choose the successful candidates. Worksubmitted is to be judged on its merits, from those piecesthat are classically enamelled through to those whosestrength lies in concept, originality, and investigations intonew ways of enamelling.

Each selected artist will be asked to provide a collection ofpieces, so that their work can be fully appreciated.

Major prizes will be offered to encourage freshness andinnovation. These will include: - The opportunity to use the large kiln at UWE for a young maker.

- An award from the Devon Guild of Craftsmen.- A kiln for a new maker from The British Society of Enamellers.

Submissions

Initial applications should be submitted to the jury forselection by Sept 15, 2007.The application should include:

- Images of current work, with written support detailing ideas, themes, technical information, and an up to date CV.

- And where possible, images or designs of new pieces, to be made for the exhibition, accompanied by written support outlining aims and objectives for the work. Ideally all submissions should be digital: either on disc or emailed. Please ensure that any images provided are of the highest quality, in a jpg format with a minimum of 300dpi.

The Devon Guild of Craftsmen will be in touch with thesuccessful candidates shortly after this selection todiscuss the maker’s ideas and to give an idea of thevolume of work needed.

Send the images and statements by Sept 15 to:

Playing With FireThe Devon Guild of CraftsmenRiverside MillBovey TraceyDevon TQ13 9AF

For further information contact:flora.pearson@crafts.org.uk01626 832223

‘Playing With Fire’ - An Exhibition ofGreat Importance to UK Enamellers

For over a year, the British Society of Enamellers hasbeen working with the Devon Guild of Craftsmen todesign and get funding for an exhibition of enamellingwhich will enhance the reputation and recognition ofenamelling in the United Kingdom and abroad.Recently we have been inviting all UK enamellers toput themselves forward for selection to this exhibition.Below is the information for those who would like toparticipate.

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Richard Slee integrates enamelled steel, firedand glazed clay, and fabrics to producemixed media objects concerned withfunction and decoration.

Throughout his career, Richard Slee, Jerwood prizewinner for Ceramics in 2001, has had an enduringinterest in colour, a shiny surface, and makingceramic sculptures that respond to, as he says, ‘theworld of the great indoors‘. Although often recallingdecorative forms and functions, his sculptures alsocan contain references to history, politics, animals,and contemporary life, often in telling combinations.Recently he has returned to the atmosphere anddecorative artefacts of the Victorian period.

Given the quality of the surface of his ceramicsculptures and vessels, Richard Slee responded to theidea of working with enamel when, about a year ago,his attention was drawn to the facilities of the Printand Enamel department at the University of the Westof England (UWE). He obtained an Arts Council grantenabling him to spend 15 days working with Elizabeth

Turrell and her staff in the Print and Enameldepartment, which resulted in his producing a largegroup of mixed media sculptures which wereexhibited last spring at the Barratt Marsden Gallery.

Initially, Richard Slee spent a few days looking at thework that was being done by other visiting artists inthe Print and Enamel department, after which hedecided he wanted to work in a sculptural way, ratherthan on panels. He then went out into the high streetto search for objects that he might be able to enamel.This was followed by an experimental period ofsandblasting metal components of various items andthen seeing if they would accept an enamel surface.Among the most successful were the metal parts ofbuilders trowels. Having established this, Richardpurchased over 40 builders’ trowels of differentshapes, removed and discarded the wooden handles,

Trowels, Shovels, and Enamel:

Trowel by Richard SleeCommercial steel trowel blade, ceramic handle and silk fringeThe trowel is 25cm long.

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and, heating the trowel heads in a kiln, he slightlydistorted the shape of the metal, which he hadpreviously found would soften and bend naturally ata high temperature. After sandblasting the alteredtrowel heads, it was easy for him to apply the enamelbecause he was used to spraying glazes on to hisceramic pieces, in both cases often overlayingdifferent colours. Richard was also able to takeadvantage of the transfers he had on hand for use withhis ceramics.

Once in possession of the enamelled trowel heads,each still with a welded metal rod attached to takethe handle, Richard Slee returned to his own studio,made ceramic handles to replace the woodenoriginals, and begin the process of turning the joinedenamelled and ceramic components into sculptures -objects that had moved beyond the function, status,and perceived role of builders’ trowels. To hearRichard Slee speak about what happened next is tofind how how intuitive he is in his work. He said thathe had on hand some adhesive felt fabric whichwould easily attach to the bottom side of the trowels,and then he looked for an extra component to attachto the felt, something that would bring the world ofVictorian decorative objects to mind. A visit to aninterior decorator’s shop revealed the availability ofmany different kinds of fringe. Richard’s account ofhis thrilled reception of the news that some of thefringes were 15 inches long showed that abreakthrough had occurred.

The resulting range of sculptures, some of which haveplastic sponge on the underside, rather an fringes,don’t have titles. The exhibition was referred tosimply as ‘Enamelled Work’. This leaves theinterpretation of the pieces up to each viewer, butRichard Slee himself does not feel the need to devisean interpretation, even for himself. When askedabout this, he paused for a few seconds and then

responded ‘I am a maker’, which seemed towonderfully describe his enjoyment in the creativityof making these pieces. It would seem that no otheroutside reference or intention was necessary, either tovalidate the work or to guide the viewer.

In addition to the trowels, Richard Slee alsoenamelled two garden shovels, covering the whitesurface with decals showing classically romanticfigures. No ceramic elements were added to theshovels - the original handles were put back after theenamelling had taken place. These two shovelsconvey a sense of humour, happines, and thegoodness of life which these days is actually quite adaring statement.

www.richardslee.com

Shovel Head by Richard SleeSteel shovel and enamel transfer28 x 25cm

Trowel by Richard SleeCommercial steel blade, liquid enamel, ceramic handle,fabric fringe

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A number of Simon Fraser’spoints rang bells with me.He asks some questions ofus, and often there arechoices implied in theanswers. Certainly thequestions are important:what we do with the itemswe make, how we reach thepublic, and what sort ofexhibitions we put on and forwhat purpose. We allstruggle with those points,whether we are inproduction work, are recrea-tional enamellers, are “art”enamellers or teachingenamellers. However, hisarticle set my mind on someother questions concerningmy role as artist/craftsperson.Am I artist or am Icraftsperson? I am both, andsometimes I am workingfrom one point of view, othertimes I come from the otherdirection.

FLUENCY:Mr. Fraser says, “People feel that to be skilled inenamelling you need to be skilled in all the enamellingtechniques.” And it seems neither he nor I agree with that.Fluency in our medium is a necessary element for thecraftsman. Now, there are those of us who are moreinterested in the learning of enamelling, and we collectworkshops—our “making” is centered around thelearning. And to a certain extent we all collect techniques.Some are the latest flavor-of-the-week, and many are fun.But we don’t have to be really skilled in all. What weneed is to have a working knowledge of the possibilities ofthe craft and its materials and processes. The notion, oftenmentioned, that I must crawl around inside a craft for tenyears before I really know what I’m doing has proved truefor me. After about ten years of working with enamels Ifound myself shifting from the surface idea of enjoyingenamelling and “what shall I do with it today?” to workingfrom ideas—“I’ve been thinking about Sanctuary, how canI best illustrate my thoughts?” And this is where thefluency is important. I find myself using cloisonné toexpress one idea, and stenciling or sifting, etc., foranother. Being fluent in the craft lets me speak. It givesme a background of information from which I can choose

how best to express ideas.Maybe I am not skilled inall the techniques, but Ineed a working knowledgeof many, I can pull outwhat I need in a givensituation, and possibly Iwill become more adept atsome of them in theprocess.

There is another aspect inwhich we need fluency.Kandinsky touches on thiswhen he speaks of the lossof spirit in art: ‘Thequestion “what” disappearsfrom art; only the question“how” remains. … Art haslost her soul.’ And againhe says, ‘All these varietiesof picture, when they arereally art, fulfill theirpurpose and feed the spirit,and when that is not there,hungry souls go hungryaway.’ (Concerning theSpiritual in Art, WassilyKandinsky, cr1914, Dover

Edition, cr. 1977)

Fluency in our medium is a necessary element for the artistin us as well as the craftsman. What are we trying to say?Maybe it is important for us to be articulate—or fluent—within ourselves at least. It’s not necessary or even wantedto have everything explained—the work can speak foritself. But I often wonder how much thought goes into ourproduction. Is it mindless “doing”? Is it only working withmaterials and process? Is it doing something pretty orprecious with enamels? The big questions is: Does it feedthe soul? This important aim can be achieved in manyways.Sometimes the soul is fed by the message, sometimesthe soul is fed by the beauty of a work. And I imaginesometimes the soul is fed by the combination of thesethings with function. But let’s be fluent in our own mindswith our ideas.

ABSOLUTE STANDARDS:This is a subject related to being fluent both as an artist anda craftsman. I guess I do have one or two absolutestandards, though I would like to remove “absolute” fromthe phrase. I recently saw a number of cloisonné

A Response from America to Simon Fraser’s IdeasJean Tudor is a respected enameller from the United States with experienceof many types of enamelling, She is well known as a teacher of enamellingand has received many commissions. Here she send us an article titled‘Some spin-off thoughts on being an artist/craftsperson, and on enamels andenameling’ relating her comments to questions raised by Simon Fraser.

Places of Power: Chapter House Stairs, Wells Cathedral by Jean TudorBack plate is raku enamel,; the front plate is silver cloisonné6 x 7”

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brooches. The designs were good: color and line, patternand texture—all good. However, the craftsmanship wasreally bad. There was enamel all over the wires, so that thelovely quality of the line was lost, and I wondered when andhow much of the enamel would flake off. I am certainly farfrom being the greatest, but seeing this sort of work isenough to keep me teaching. If a piece is cloisonné, orwhatever technique, then I want to see the skill of thecraftsman. The work needs to show intentional and carefuluse of materials and techniques as well as good design.

Fluency and meeting standards do not imply following allthe rules. Burned out enamel has its charms, black edgesare strong. The happyaccidents have their value.We need to pushboundaries. The importantpart is to learn from thehappy accidents so thatthey can be repeatedintentionally on anotherpiece, when the focalpoint could be burned outor bubbled enamel oroverfired glass threads thathave spread across thepicture plane.

DICHOTOMIESWe work with so manydichotomies. Are we trulyinvolved in “schizo-phrenic” activity? ActuallyI see these dichotomies asdifferent facets of a whole.Look at them as choicesinstead of contradictoryissues. Sitting in on ajurying process once, I wasamazed to hear my workdescribed as being from aperson who was “ob-viously schizophrenic.”I’d sent five slides of cloisonné wall works in a series on thepsychology of fairy tales, and five slides of standing worksfrom the bend-and-bash school of enamelling. Is a weaverexpected to make only ikat weavings, or a potter to workonly in porcelain cups? Again, it is a matter of choice andwe have so many, hearkening back to our fluency in ourmedium. As mentioned before, we choose the best way toexpress what we do with a particular piece on which we areworking.

And the dichotomies with which we live, in our reasons forworking, again, are choices. Mr. Fraser talks about ourobjectives in working. Are we working to satisfy the publicand current fashion? Are we fulfilling a specificcommission? Are we working to satisfy our own innerneeds, our souls? Each carries different demands. But I seethem as a whole way of working. We work for differentreasons at different times. We shift with the demands. Andif we don’t like the demands of commission work forinstance, we can pull away, put our efforts elsewhere, andcut out the demands we don’t like. So sometimes we areaiming at the public and the market, sometimes at

commissions and economics, and sometimes to satisfyourselves. They are not contradictory, we can do all, wedon’t have to do one to the exclusion of the others, andwe make the choices.

There are different tensions and choices within ourteaching activities too. Are we teaching technique? Arewe imparting a sense of history about enamelling? Arewe teaching anything about subject matter andmotivation? Are we educating the public? The artist inpeople? The craftsperson in people? Where do our ownstrong interests lie? To what aspects of enamels andenamelling do we feel committed?

And another aspect of teachingthat should be considered is thetype of teaching. Are weactively teaching enamellingand its processes? Are weproviding occupational therapy?Are we babysitting a studio?Whatever it is that we are doingwe need to be aware of it so weagain make a choice about whatwe want to be doing. I once lostmost of an adult education classwho had been with me forseveral years because I got tiredof seeing them revert to thesame thing again and again. Isaid, “Research buttons. Howare they used? How are theyfastened to material? What arethey made of? How do youenamel them? Researchamulets and fetishes. What dothey mean? What would yourpersonal amulet or fetish be?”End of class as they knew it, andso goodbye to you, Miss Jean!We need to know what we aredoing and if it is meeting ourown criteria too.

I have a few thoughts about educating the public, theobservers of our work. While enamellers may huddle atan opening and ask “how was that pink achieved?”—andthat is a legitimate function of exhibitions within our ownlimited world—are we aiming at the “in” group or thepublic? I believe we are showing our work, andeducating both ourselves and the public. I’ve oftenthought that we should have shows with themes. Saloudoes this for us. A theme provides the public with anidea on which to hang what they see. This year theycome to see nudes—that happen to be done in enamel.There is subject matter which they understand, but theyare seeing a new or at least a not common medium. Alot of education is done by sneaking something new intoan already familiar framework. Furthermore, it can begood for us, putting some demands (which we canchoose to accept or reject) on us, pushing ourboundaries. We once set a purely mechanical limitation(size of work) on an exhibition. The outcry (mostly fromUSA enamellers) was huge. And the lack of ingenuitywas dismaying—the jewelers, for instance took their

Owen Beach Logs by Jean TudorCopper and jewellery enamel, including deliberatelyburnt out areas8 x 10”

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usual work and put it in the specified size frames. I thoughtthey would work with the idea of how to make somethingenamelled that was 6”x6” that would not be too heavy towear. Well, silly me!

Most other crafts came out of a functional background.Glass contained something, asdid pottery. Metalsmithingmade weapons, shod horsesand held trappings on theirheads. Jewelry, now largelyconsidered decorative, kept acloak from blowing off one’sshoulders. Enamelling, on theother hand, has beendecorative from the beginning.It had no functional base byitself—it did not stand alone, itwas always an embellishment,whether to a scepter, an altarfront, or a penannular brooch.These enamelled objects arenow studied by botharchaeologists and arthistorians. With age they havebecome Art.

So maybe our craft has come tothe art world through the backdoor, and it is now moreapparent on the wall and three-dimensional pedestals than itwas in earlier times. I believethis demands more thought onour part. We are bothembellishing objects andfulfilling the art function of satisfying the soul. It is to behoped that we are doing this as fine craftsmen who arefluent, though not necessarily completely expert, with ourtools, materials and processes, and as good artists, fluent inour ideas and the expression of them.

ChairmanHilary BoltonThe Mead70 Long Ashton RoadBristol BS41 9LE01275 540256hiilarybolton@blueyonder.co.uk

EditorPat Johnson51 Webbs RoadLondon SW11 6RX020 7228 0011pat.johnson@enamel.demon.co.uk

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SecretaryRuth Ball74 Easedale DriveAinsdaleSouthportMerseyside PR8 3TS01704 577585bsoe@designden.plus.com

As a summary of my feelings about being an artist and acraftsman, I end with D.M.Dooling’s statement whichsums up what I see as a necessary relationship for us:

In spite of the divorce that seems to have taken place in ourtimes, craft cannot be separated from art any more than

usefulness can be separatedfrom beauty. The word “art”comes from an Indo-Europeanroot meaning “to fit together,”from which also comes “order,”which began as a word meaninga row of threads on a loom.“Craft” originally meant“strength, skill, device,”indicating at its very inceptionthe basic relationships of thematerial, the maker, and thetool: the opposition of thrustand resistance and the means oftheir coming together in acreative reconciliation. Theartist must be a craftsman, forwithout the working knowledgeof this triple relationship subjectto opposing forces, he has notthe skill to express his vision.And if the craftsman has nocontact with the “Idea,” which isthe vision of the artist, he is atbest a competent manufacturer.Art and craft are aspects(potential, not guaranteed) of allwork that is undertakenintentionally and voluntarily; allwork, in other words, that is

worthily human, that is not “donkey work” or drudgery, thelabor of an animal or a machine. Both art and craft musttake part in any activity which has the power to transform.A Way of Working: the Spiritual Dimension of Craft.D.M.Dooling, cr 1979

Owen Beach Offshore by Jean TudorCopper and jewellery enamel18 x 10”

Jeantudor@comcast.net