Archive for enamel – Page 2

The Saddest Aisle – A talk by Keith Lewis

The Center for Enamel Art is honored to sponsor a talk by enamelist/jeweler Keith Lewis.

For over 20 years, Lewis has investigated the ways that jewelry can represent a form of regard and remembrance. Beginning with a series of brooches commemorating friends and acquaintances who died of AIDS and continuing through work that explored gay male identity and sexuality, Lewis has used jewelry as a vessel of love, regard and political memorialization.

In his newest body of work, “The Saddest Aisle”, Lewis addresses his longstanding belief in the obligations of empathy through the abandoned, forlorn baskets in the aisles of Goodwill. Silent, uncomplaining receptacles of joy and pain, he believes that they deserve redemption and regard. So he takes them, renders them permanent and then dresses them in finery as a recognition of the lives that they have witnessed.

In his talk, Lewis will discuss the trajectory of his work and the ways that the current series–– despite being ornamental and non-narrative–– continues to allow him to explore his longstanding goals and preoccupations.

This is a free talk, so there’s no need to register. Everyone is welcome to come and learn about Keith’s work and his techniques for enameling. The talk is in conjunction with the Enamel Oddities workshop he is teaching at Silvera Jewelry School this weekend. The workshop is hosted by Silvera and is part of the Center’s 2019 workshop series.

Enamel Oddities – a workshop with Keith Lewis

 

THIS WORKSHOP IS NOW FULL.
Email to be put on the waitlist.

This 3-day workshop will feature a number of somewhat unusual enameling techniques that are straightforward and simple, but which significantly expand the expressive potential of enameling. We will begin with a brief overview of basic painted enamel techniques including drawing directly onto enamel, the use of watercolor enamels, the preparation of enamel paints from raw oxides, the use of lusters, and other methods of painting.

After that we will explore four rendering methods in detail:

  1. The firing of graphite drawings into enamel, producing highly detailed and delicate images. We will learn how to prep the enamel for the pencil marks; how to blend, shade and use graphite washes; and how to build up layers and use overglazing in combination with painting techniques. As an alternative to kiln-firing we will learn a simple method of torch-firing that maximizes image clarity.
  2. The use of reflective glass beads (used on airport runways) to create unexpected optical effects. Demos will include the use of various sized beads, compatible enamel undercoats and the complex optical interactions that can be created.
  3. The use of synthetic aventurine (goldstone) to produce enamels that sparkle, a historical method virtually unknown in contemporary enamel circles.
  4. The application of delicate sgraffito drawings in gold leaf, a technique derived from Roman glass portrait rondels and adapted for enamels. Demos will focus on the crucial aspects of surface preparation and precise firing conditions that are necessary to achieve the effect.

 

Keith Lewis received his BS in Chemistry from Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA) in 1981 and his MFA in Jewelry & Metalsmithing from Kent State University (Kent, OH) in 1993. He has been teaching at Central Washington University since 1994, where he is currently a Distinguished Professor. His jewelry deals with issues of sexual identity, memory, loss, and the notion of jewelry as a transportable polemic. His work has been widely published and shown both nationally and internationally, and is represented in a number of significant public and private collections, including the Tacoma Art Museum, The Houston Museum of Fine Arts, The Rotasa Foundation (CA), The Museum of Arts and Design, The Smithsonian Institution, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG) and on the Metalsmith magazine Editorial Advisory Board.

Workshop Hours:

Friday-Sunday, 10 AM to 5 PM , with meal breaks at Silvera Jewelry School

Cost: $595 + $35 materials fee

Materials List: Provided upon registration or when ready

Registration: Limited to 9

Refund Policy: No refunds unless your workshop position can be filled by another person.

Lodging, Meals, Transportation:

Coming from out of town? Check AirBnB, Priceline, and other discounted online lodging sources, The Center will try help you make your stay comfortable and stress free while you are a workshop participant.

 

 

Telling Stories with Enamel: A free presentation by Aurélie Guillaume

The unique cloisonné pieces by enamelist, Aurélie Guillaume, who lives in Montreal, have definite stories behind them.

The public is invited to a free presentation with Aurelie
Weds. July 24th, 7 to 9 PM
Silvera Jewelry School where Aurélie will be teaching a workshop for the Center for Enamel Art.

 

Cloisonné: New Frontiers- a workshop with Aurélie Guillaume

THIS WORKSHOP IS NOW FULL.
Email to be put on the waitlist.

Join us as we push this ancient art into groundbreaking territory. Cloisonné is often used for small jewelry, but its precise lines and forms hold incredible potential for graphic, illustrative, whimsical, and narrative work. With cloisonné wire we will “draw” and create patterns, adding color and detail with ink pens, various underglazes, and bold, opaque colors. We will also troubleshoot the technical issues of these complex pieces.
Basic enameling experience required.

Aurélie Guillaume, born in Montréal, Québec (1990), is a French Canadian jeweler, enamelist and illustrator. Sshe is currently living and working in Montréal. Formally trained in the arts of jewelry and metalsmithing at the École de Joaillerie de Montréal, and at NSCAD University in Canada, she was first recognized for her work upon graduating as the winner of L.A. Pai Gallery’s 12th National student jewelry competition. Since then, she has participated in exhibitions throughout North America, Europe and Asia. In 2017, she had her first solo show in the United States at the late Reinstein & Ross Gallery in NYC. In 2018, she was one of the five finalists for the Art Jewelry Forum Artist Award.

Aurélie’s pieces have been acquired for the permanent collections of the Enamel Arts Foundation in Los Angeles, the Museum of Art and Design in New York, the University of Iowa Museum of art, and the Pureun Culture Foundation, Seoul as well as many major private collections. Her work has been featured in Metalsmith Magazine (Vol.36/No.5/2016) and in many exhibition catalogues and books.

 

Workshop Hours:

Tuesday -Thursday, 10 AM to 5 PM , with meal breaks at Silvera Jewelry School

Cost: $595 + $35 materials fee

Materials List: Provided upon registration or when ready

Registration: Limited to 9

Refund Policy: No refunds unless your workshop position can be filled by another person.

Lodging, Meals, Transportation:

Coming from out of town? Check AirBnB, Priceline, and other discounted online lodging sources, The Center will try help you make your stay comfortable and stress free while you are a workshop participant.

Linda Darty: An Artist’s Journey

 

Join Linda Darty, Professor of Jewelry Design at East Carolina University and author of The Art of Enameling, as she shares highlights from her life as an artist working in enamel since the 1970’s.

She will discuss inspirations, design solutions, and techniques that motivated changes over the years, eventually leading her to Italy, where she now lives and teaches.

The Metals Dept. of CCA will be hosting this presentation that is free and open to the public. Tell all your friends and share this info on Facebook and other social media.

   The presentation will take place at Nahl Hall on the CCA Oakland campus.

                                Saturday, July 20 – 7:30 PM- 9 PM
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