Archive for KVO Industries – Page 2

An Evening with John Killmaster- Thurs. July 5th

6 PM – 4 Maxwell Ct., Santa Rosa, CA
Free and open to the public – Light refreshments will be provided

The Center for Enamel Art invites you to attend an informative evening with John Killmaster who will be inaugurating our new Annex inside KVO Industries in Santa Rosa with his workshop July 6-9.

John has a lifetime of knowledge and experience to share. In this presentation he will be showing slides of the types of techniques he will be teaching in his workshop plus images of his work as he has developed as an educator, master enamel artist and painter.

Expanding Our Space, Expanding Our Reach. You Can Help!

As we announced just before New Year’s, we have been offered a wonderful opportunity: our own space for large-scale enameling in a new facility that KVO Industries has acquired in Santa Rosa, CA. This space, which we are calling the Annex, is the first dedicated artist-use large-scale enameling space in the U.S., and will be an incredible resource for the Center. We hope you will be a part of this new exciting new phase, and will help contribute to our efforts if you are able!

Enameled steel sign at KVO Industries. Together, we can make it happen!

Our plans for the Annex are ambitious. The space will provide a place to create large-scale enameled steel art, including public and private commissions. Artisans will be able to design and produce enameled steel products. The Annex will also be a place to explore new applications and techniques for enameling steel. We will be able to offer groundbreaking classes, host visiting artists and eventually, provide ongoing residency programs. Although KVO’s large (8′ x 5′) hanging belt furnace is particularly suited for two-dimensional work, the Center is encouraging all who are interested in working three-dimensionally in enameled steel to come to the factory to work.

We are delighted that the Annex will be inaugurated with a workshop from master enamelist, John Killmaster, from July 6th to July 9th. Killmaster, at age 83, has experienced a resurgence in his career. A younger audience, which has recently embraced the use of liquid enamels, is now flocking to his work and his teaching.

We will offer regularly scheduled, facilitated weekend workdays at the Annex. In addition, our plans include workshops, factory tours and workdays for schools, and three- to five-day residencies for those working on projects or commissions. To find out more about the 2018 KVO program schedule, please contact the Center.

We believe that a space like this, created in a close partnership with an artist-friendly industrial facility like KVO, is essential to the future of enameling. It will allow us to share the possibilities of industrial enameling with more artists, and to bring new techniques, and more and larger work, into public view.
As we work to bring our plans to life, we will share our progress with you here on our blog and on Facebook. Along the way, we will ask for your help as we develop our large-scale enameling program and related educational programming. Even though KVO has been extremely generous is making this space possible, there is a cost.  Our monthly lease payment is small for what it includes, but our programming cannot pay for all of the expenses associated with the space.
Please consider a contribution towards these goals.
  • $50 can purchase tools and equipment.
  • $100 can fund scholarships for classes and workshops.
  • $250 can fund promotion for outreach to all artists
  • $500 or more can create a residency program for artists wanting to work inside an enamel factory.
  • If you would contribute to the space by naming it, please contact the Center for more information about naming rights.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW. It’s simple and easy, and makes a huge difference to our work!

As a member of the enameling community, you know how rare and valuable an opportunity this is. We are grateful for your involvement and support. Together, we can create an exciting future for enameling!

Kat Cole Enamels Her Work at KVO Industries, Part 3

This is the eighth in a series of guest posts by the enamel artist Kat Cole. This post previously appeared on her blog

kvo-3-1The process of enameling at KVO was a bit of a fast – slow – slow pace. I would have windows of time that I would have my spray gun ready to hop into the spray booth and get a coat on during the workers’ breaks. Their workday would usually begin at 6am and go until 3pm. I got into the habit of getting there around 7am, enjoying the time just being in the space and listening to the guys chat. They were all helpful and knowledgeable about the various processes. Read More →

Kat Cole Enamels Her Work at KVO Industries, Part 2

This is the seventh in a series of guest posts by the enamel artist Kat Cole. This post previously appeared on her blog


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Grey panels

By the end of my first day at KVO Industries my crate had still not arrived and I was beginning to panic.  My time was limited to this one week in Santa Rosa, and if the crate did not arrive and I did not get the work done, I would have no option but to pack it back up and send it back home to Dallas unfinished. And, while I was renting time and space at KVO, I still had to be courteous of the workers’ spraying and firing schedule. 

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The memorial panels in process

The week I was there was a busy one.  They had just begun on a big order for a large number of blank grey panels that would be used for changeable vinyl signage at a university. Also that week, they were working on a series of prototype photo collage panels for a funeral home that would be mounted on headstones. The use of durable enamel signage for grave makers was not a use that had occurred to me before, but turns out to be a growing market.

I began my second day at KVO with still no crate, and spent the morning calling the freight company and working on samples. I would be using a combination of Thompson Enamels and KVO’s in-house mixed enamels. I had worked with this combo at home, but knew you could never do too many samples, and something new always comes up working in a new space.

To clean the surface of small parts, they taught me to take old liquid enamel and rubbed it all over the piece, allow it to dry then brushed it off. Worked like a charm, all oils and dirt removed.

kvo-2-3Finally midday my crate arrived and work would really begin.  The panels would need to be sanded in the areas where rust had begun to form and a few needed additional tabs added for hanging.  The interior of the KVO kiln is eight feet long and seven feet high and three feet deep.  There are hanging tracks on both sides so during high production they do not have to wait for a load to cool and be unloaded before doing the next firing.  By the end of my second day the panels were washed and ready to begin work.

Panels going into the parts washer for a good cleaning

Panels going into the parts washer for a good cleaning

Kat Cole Enamels Her Work at KVO Industries, Part 1

This is the sixth in a series of guest posts by the enamel artist Kat Cole. This post previously appeared on her blog

Note: It is at this point I would like to say thank you to the people that were integral to making my trip possible, those that were so generous to open up their homes to me and share their knowledge.  Judy, Brooke, Linda, Steve–you all were my cheerleaders through what was both an incredibly stressful and exciting experience and I cannot thank you enough.

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Installation by Ellen Forney in Seattle bus station, made by KVO Industries

KVO Industries is located in picturesque northern California in the small town of Santa Rosa.  This operation has been fabricating porcelain enamel signage for the last 16 years and grew out of a larger factory that re-located away from Santa Rosa in 2000. KVO is a small company running impressive facilities with incredible possibilities.  They have made signage for the state and national park systems, large-scale outdoor images for cities and museums, and worked with artists to re-create images of their work in enamel for public projects. Read More →