Updates of Pixieprincess.com

Boy-o! Life does creep on ya!  I have many more thoughts about the conference and have yet to find the time to write them all down. It was wonderful visiting with friends, eating at fabulous restaurants*, staying with gracious couchsurfing hosts, and meeting inspirational and established enamelists.

I drove home through the redwoods where I had my very first bald eagle sighting and came across a herd of elk.  I love the West Coast.

The class I took in coorelation with the conference was called “Form and Image” taught by Jessica Calderwood. We worked a bit with a hydraulic press and explored the possiblities of under and overglazes.  I was stoked.  I’m still stoked to apply this the new found knowledge to my pieces!  Essentially, one needs to put down a nice ground coat and counterenamel, etch the enamel to give it texture and then it is ready to draw on! With a pencil! Seriously!  A regular graphite pencil will work though we used Amaco’s underglaze pencils.  After firing it in we explored the wonders of overglazes.  I’ll stop yammering and give some examples I did in class.  How ’bout that?

Work in Progress from Jessica Calderwood's class in underglaze pencil and overglaze

Work in Progress from Jessica Calderwood's class in underglaze pencil and overglaze

I just got back from a fabulously inspiring work related vacation, The Enamelist Society Conference in Oakland, CA.  It was fabulous to be back in the bay area, though it turns out I didn’t leave my heart there after all.  I loved living there back in 2000, but I just don’t know if I could do it now.  It’s so overwhelming and high key compared to the life I’ve gotten used to here in Oregon.

On to the conference!

There were lots of talks, breakout sessions, and classes to choose from.  I’m a little sad I forgot my clonie as I wanted to go to them all!

My very favourite breakout was a talk from Martha Banyas: Looking for art in some of the right places.  She is a well traveled and articulate woman, who I felt would be a kindred spirit.  Her work is focused on the human form, animals, tattoos and masks using cloisonné and overglaze techniques seamlessly together.  Being a dancer enchanted by the human form I was really digging it.  She spoke favourite pieces from visiting the Cincinnati Art Museum as a kid, pieces which are high on my list as well (the tiny Egyptian animals and miniatures win out for me though). She’s currently in Portland, so practically my neighbor, and somehow I didn’t manage to pin her down out the conference. Field trip! Sorry I can’t find a link to her work, but she’s in Linda Darty’s bookJ

 Post conference I took a workshop from Jessica Calderwood.  Jessica is open, informative, encouraging, and experimental as a teacher.  I had never attacked under and overglazes before as it always seemed like there were too many options (what powders or paints to buy, what oils or binders to use, etc)  Jessica gave us the how and why of what works for her and we ran with it.  I was quite impressed with the student work!  I had a few issues with the ceramic decals (dropping my piece, smearing them off:/) but I’m pleased with where I got in three days.  In a three day cloisonné class I’d have maybe gotten one piece done.  In this class I almost finished three!

I made other connections with conference goers and mentors that were delights.  In other mediums, I’ve met folks whose work I adore and whose personality is, well, evil.  Enamelists seem to be a different breed, eager to talk about techniques, inspirations, silliness, and just about anything.

Click through to these fabulous people.  They are awesome. Do it!

Merry Lee Rae

Michele Raney

Marianne Hunter

Pam East

Rick McMullen

but I didn’t get to meet L

Harlan Butt

though he was there somewhere!

Egads.  I have much more to say but you’ve already had to scroll down this far!

Taking it in,

~margarita