Georgian Enamels

Help needed for Georgian Enamel Gallery and School

Enamel Art Gallery [Ornament] is a unique institution in the small world of enameling.  Not only is it a sophisticated gallery space in the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia, but it also has a concurrent school with prominent instructors.  Over 400 people have learned traditional Georgian cloisonné enameling through Ornament and have gone on to earn their living from enameling.  Thea Gugenidze, one of the leading founders of the current revival of enameling in Georgia, is co-owner of Ornament and teaches at the school.  Her passionate commitment has been to the revival of cloisonné enameling as a part of Georgian history and culture as well as a means of economic development for underprivileged Georgians.. 

Ornament was founded in 2000 and is located in Tbilisi’s old town, which is prime territory for gentrification.  The  Georgian government has decided to “privatize” a lot of prime real estate once owned by the state, including the site that is now Ornament and the Enamel Art Gallery school.  The gallery owners cannot afford to buy the building and are seeking some kind of state aid to help them  Otherwise the building that houses the gallery and school will be sold to the highest bidder and the space most likely used for either an upscale restaurant or shop in this very touristy area of old town Tbilisi.  The deadline for help is the end of September.

Mary Chuduk and Judy Stone, who have both gone to Georgia on behalf of the U. S. State Department to work with Georgian enamelists, are asking  all enamelists, enameling organizations, and related organizations to send a letter of support to the Georgian Government to help the owners, Thea Gurgenidze and Khatuna Babaunashvili, purchase the building they are currently leasing.

Letters of support [no digital signatures please] can be sent via PDF file attachment to enamelart@gmail.com. Address the letter to “To Whom This May Concern” or to “Dear sir/madam.”  Letters will be sent on by the gallery to the authorities that are dealing with their situation.  If you would like to make a direct financial contribution, you should contact the gallery at the above e-mail address as to best way of sending a donation.

Visit Ornament on Facebook. 

George Brown Continuing Education Enameling Class

Casa Loma Campus, 160 Kendall Ave, Toronto

 Yes, it's time once again to  encourage would-be enamelists in the Toronto area to come out and take the challenge!

I have been teaching at George Brown College (Casa Loma Campus) for over 6 years now. This is the most comprehensive class that is being taught in the area, providing an introduction to all aspects of enamel practice. I really enjoy teaching the class at George Brown. My students there are the most serious - and quite a few have gone on to become enamelists in their own right.

Three large kilns (area 5 on the left)

Teaching at the folk schools can be fun - but the reality is that most of those students don't actually want to learn. They will never buy a kiln - or experience the joys and pains of mastering this demanding medium. They want me to guide them in a fun and interesting way through the steps of making something that they can take home.  After all - for most of them folk-school is a holiday - not a true learning experience. However it does give them a greater appreciation for the dedication and skill involved in being an enamelist - and that in itself is a worthwhile goal.

12" x 12" x 6" interior

But those who really are smitten by the alchemy of glass and metal fusion should join me at George Brown. We can really build an understanding of what enamel is and how it works (and what it can do!)  For me enameling is not just fun - it is a passion. Every time I put a piece in the kiln I get a rush of excitement to know what it will become under the transformative influence of fire!

If you want more detail on what the course entails - please follow this link to my teaching site. To register go here


Hope to see you there!

Enameling basics: Annealling

Fired 12-20 times

One of the difficulties with enameling is that sometimes - when you don't follow best practice - everything works fine. Countless times students say - "but I did this before and it worked fine".  If you don't mind sometimes failing, you can be careless - and things might even work out frequently - but if you want to gain control over the outcomes - meticulous attention to detail becomes important. I have found that developing meticulous habits is the only way to reduce your failure rate.

Fired 3-4 times

For the first few years of enamelling I would say that my failure rate was about 25% - that would be typical for a beginner. After 25 years of enamelling my failure rate is less than 5% - but it's still not perfect. That is simply the reality of the world of enameling. The failure rate will, of course, depend on the difficulty of the technique -- but it will always be there. There are literally hundreds of variables and sometimes a few seconds too long in the kiln can ruin a week of work. Enamelling is not for the faint of heart!

Fried to burn-out (usually undesirable)

The good news is that sometimes when things go wrong the results are quite beautiful! However learning to diagnose what has gone wrong will enable you to reproduce those beautiful results. If you want to make a living as an enamelist this becomes important.

So I am going to do a series of  blogs on the basics of enameling. Enameling is an art that requires meticulous attention at every level. The more care that is taken in the initial steps - the less likelihood that unexpected or unwanted results will ensue!

ANNEALLING

The first concern of the enamelist is to prepare the metal. It must be perfectly clean before the necessary molecular bond will be formed.

Different enamelists develop different procedures for cleaning the metal depending on what techniques they use - I will outline a standard procedure here.

The first step is annealing. This means heating the metal to around 1500 degrees. This may seem simple - but there a quite a few things that need to be kept in mind. Accuracy in annealing will make all the other stages go more smoothly.

In a perfect world - when you bring the piece out of the kiln it will have a thin layer of grey firescale, which will flake off immediately upon dropping the piece in cold water (quenching) The metal will look light pink and be only slightly mottled.

If the piece has not been heated long enough it will be a dark or yellowish red even after quenching. If it has been heated too long it will have heavy firescale that will take a long time to get off. 

As in many cases in enameling - it is possible to give an accurate diagnoses of the problem after - but not possible to give exact times/temperatures  before the fact. Success comes only with practice.

As you place the piece in the kiln there are a few things that will give you clues as to when the piece is ready. 

First the tray will start to glow the same colour as the kiln and then the piece will,  but you want to get the piece out just before that. There is a fairly small window ( a few seconds) when this happens and the piece is perfectly ready.  Once you take the piece out of the kiln it will look different. The tray will no longer appear to be glowing, but the piece should be glowing a dull cherry red. This will only be noticable once the piece has come out. Inside the kiln it will look greyish. These observations are VERY subjective. There is no substitute for making your own observations.

This does not accurately represent what the eye sees - but shows how subtle the changes are over a few second breaks

Careful attention to kiln temperature and time at the annealing stage will give you a benchmark time for firing later.

After quenching the piece should only he held LIGHTLY by the edges, or by the underside (the side you are not working on.


A short time in a COLD pickle of Sparex #2, citric acid or vinegar and salt. Enamel should not be put in a hot pickle as this may cause deterioration of the enamel.


After the piece looks completely pink, remove it by the edges and neutralise it with a bit of baking soda. If the firescale doesn't come off with a LIGHT brushing it needs to go back in the pickle.


Now you are ready to apply enamel!

Enamelling Classes

The Devil's Workshop, Toronto ON

25 years ago I started on my own personal odyssey with enamel. At that time, unless I joined a full time jewelry course (of which enameling was only a small part), there were no classes in available - especially in the somewhat unusual technique of champleve that I was specifically interested in. It didn't occur to me at the time that I should learn the basics before tackling this difficult technique - I had a very specific vision. I got a lot of books from the library and experimented for a couple of years. I found a night class taught by Allen Perkins - which gave me the basics and I struggled on alone. I now know that there were other resources available for me - but that was in the days before the Internet - and no-one (least of all me) knew how to access them.

Catskills Irish Arts Week, East Durham NY

Now that I am a teacher myself, and know that it is best to start with the basics, I try nevertheless to honour the passion that people bring. It was my passion and vision that carried me forward, and it was 15 years later, on taking a class with Fay Rooke, that all of that experience came together in my mind under the expert tutelage of a master.

Public Library, Lindsay ON

I don't think of myself as a master (yet!). As a working enamelist who has to make a living at what I do - I don't have the leisure to explore really advanced, or experimental techniques. Whenever I sit down to design a piece I am conscious of the price it will demand and who will be able to afford it. But I do think of myself as having some mastery - and a thorough understanding of the relationship of glass and metal. But mmost especially I have a passion and love for the medium, and this is what I try to pass on to my students - so that they will be able to take enamel where their dreams lead them. I never teach design in my class - and never tell my students that their ideas are not 'modern' or 'relevant' or 'traditioal' enough. I feel that their vision is their own, and my job is to give them the best tools to realise it.

Cedar Lakes Craft Center, Ripley WV

Even before moving to Toronto 5 years ago I was given the opportunity to teach at George Brown College in the continuing education department. I used to commute from Lindsay once a week! My class is not required for a jewellery certificate - but is a credit towards one. The studio is large and spacious and has three large kilns. I love teaching there because the students come with some skills that they can then adapt - and some have even gone on to become working enamelists in their own right.


Current Classes

George Brown College, Toronto ON
Devil's Workshop, Toronto ON
Catskills Irish Arts Week, East Durham NY
Augusta Heritage College, Elkins WV
Road Scholar's Program, Cedar Lakes WV


I also do travelling classes: if you can get 6 people together (including yourself) I will bring a class to you!

Upstate New York

Now that my life on the road is getting less and less and my life at home more settled and even organized (!) I thought I would do a retrospective on one of my favorite places: upstate New York. Having just returned from a visit there I was remembering how much it has to offer. When I was making my decision to settle down - I looked at two places: Toronto and up-state New York. Many of my best shows are there, and certainly many of my best customers.  

The combination of great natural beauty and access to culture is very seductive - but I also really like New Yorkers - I like their attitude. When I do a craft show in canada the comment I get most often is "This is different" (said in a way that makes 'different' sound more than slightly disreputable.) In New York they love different. In canada I often get customers who need to ask at least 5 of their friends if they like the piece too before purchasing - that NEVER happens in New York: New Yorkers don't need anyone's permission to like something ;-) 

Don't get me wrong - I don't regret my choice. I chose Toronto, and I love it. I have good Canadian customers. Both here and in the US people who really like my work are in a very small percentile. That percentile is just bigger in New York than anywhere else. 

And, sadly, the Canadian stereotype of the crass American does truly exist there too: not all my experiences have been great - there was that Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival - the only time I have ever left a show before it was over. It was the last Craft show I ever did - finally learning the lesson that they were NOT my market. I remember the people in the booth next to me vividly. They were from Romania and the wife, Maria Ciucur, painted icons. Beautiful little luminescent gems - and the crowds (over 15,000 attended I heard) just walked by as if they saw Byzantine Icons every day of the week. I sold only one pair of earrings in two days, or I would have bought one of the icons...

But this has been more than compensated for by Old Songs (which I have been doing for over 20 years) Catskills Irish Arts Week (over 10 years), The Hunter Mountain Fine Craft Fair (sadly now defunct but a really fine show), the Dance Flurry (which is new to me - but has been going on for 25 years), and there was even a World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs in 2007 when I spent a magical week at the hand built home of a friend out in the woods. 

My market is smaller than the big craft shows can accomodate (one of lifes paradoxes - that what is small cannot fit into something too big) My customers (and friends) are found at the places where people have different priorities than just shopping: folk festivals, cultural schools, conferences and conventions of people with interests outside of the mainstream:  mythology, history, folklore, music and stories.

That's where I feel I can best do my work. So I will be going back to upstate New York soon ...

Festival Fever

 Well - I am back from Old Songs. I had an amazing time. Caught up with old friends - and made some new. Heard some amazing sea chanties at the song session Sunday night - and listened for a while to the French-Canadian fiddle session with my friend from Ottawa James Stephens. 

James on the Old Songs stage with his new fiddle

He had just purchased a new 5 string fiddle from my booth neighbours - a delightful couple from the Adirondacks: Pat and Brad Higgins. Brad spent years repairing violins - and noticed that they always had the same problems - so he designed a new one to address those problems. Apparently James had his eye on  these fiddles for 9 years - and finally made the leap!

It's a very beautiful instrument and has gorgeous tone. I can attest to that as I listened while numerous people dropped by to try them out. From Irish to bluegrass to classical - they all sounded great! Brad's fiddles (which he humourously calls "Bradivarius") have been getting a lot of attention. Natalie McMaster has one, and Donnell Leahy. And now James. (apparently Canadians really like his fiddles ;-)

I went to hear the huge Shape Note (Sacred Harp) sing that always happens Sunday morning. I tried to capture the sound but my poor little microphone couldn't handle it. Just when I was giving up this woman stepped in front of my camera and I loved her graceful accompaniment to the music (please forgive the appalling sound quality!)

Festival founder and director "Andy" Spence (now in her 70's) and her amazing volunteer team spend the entire year fundraising to make Old Songs happen. And while she gets lots of support - many more people just don't realise how much work goes into making a festival like this happen. She does it for one reason only - becasue she LOVES the music. And she understands the importance of these gatherings in preserving it.

As someone who has been attending festivals for years I can tell you that there has always been something special about Old Songs. While all the other festivals would often have an identical line-up (taking advantage of whoever happened to be on tour) Old Songs always has something different.  Always something that I have never heard before that is amazing.

But I also benefited from Andy's personal patronage as she has purchased an animal brooch from each of the 23 years I have been attending this festival. I am sure she has more of my work than any other single person! This year she got the Scythian Stag.

Sadly this festival struggles from year to year to make ends meet and to continue to do their important work. Put it on your calendar for next year! You won't regret it!

Camp Wyoka

A few weeks ago I got an e-mail (as I often do these days) with questions about enamelling supplies. The call was from Camp Wyoka, which is a Girl Guide camp in Southern Ontario. Someone had donated a kiln and they were excited about being able to add enameling to their art focused week which happens in August. But the kiln was all they had! After some discussion we decided that a couple of their leaders needed to be trained, and then together we would come up with a list of supplies that would be useful.

So I was very focused on thinking about how I would do this:  I couldn't possibly expect these young women to retain ALL the tiny bits of information that go into this art -after one day's trasining! but I had to give them enough to pass on - and make sure they did it safely.

Me, Shawn, Mike and Dad

Then I consulted a map to plan my driving. Imagine my surprise when I realised it  was about 15 miles from the tiny town where I grew up (Mt Forest) where I had been a Girl Guide myself! The first thing I asked when I got there was "How long have the girl guides owned this property?"; the answer "50 years".  I had surely been there myself as a small girl! I didn't remember the place specifically - but Guiding had been a very big part of my childhood. In the days before the Internet this was the only real activity a non-sports minded girl like myself could really do. My dad was a Scout leader, I was in Brownies and then Guides and my brother was in Cubs and then Scouts. It gave us a love of the outdoors and a chance to learn about nature in a fun and supportive environment.

But I also had a very vivid memory from my childhood about a particular "Weenie Roast" as we used to call them. I loved going on these outings as it meant staying up late in the forest around a campfire and it felt very adventurous. But just before the week-end I got a bad cold. I begged and begged my parents to let me go and to my surprise they did. I felt miserable but still had a great time. I always appreciated the lessons it taught me: that I could push beyond my own limitations, that weakness didn't have to hold you back, and that some times things were worth doing even if they were really hard. I was so grateful that they trusted me with this responsibility. I am grateful still, for this and for all the support my wonderful parents have given me throughout my life. You appreciate these things even more as you get older...

The class was easier than I had supposed - the girls were bright and quick - and had a real understanding of how much their younger charges would be able to absorb. It was cheering to see that the Girl Guides are still doing their wonderful work. Summer camp is a great experience for the kids - and a great way to grow into creative and supportive young women in a stunningly beautiful environment.