I Love Enamel "Color, Layers, and Light"!

Light in nature captivates me.

Whether it's the sun reflecting off the surface of a lake, river, and ocean, or the light passing through the trees and leaves in the woods, I become entranced by the magic of how the light makes me feel.

I attempt to capture and express these same feelings in my enamel artwork. Transparent enamel colors can be blended and layered. Metal can reflect light through these layers. Opaque and opalescent layers can change the amount of light.

Play and experimentation help me learn what is possible, what I like, and how to control the colors and light. With practice I can then begin to translate what I see in nature into enamel imagery  and create tiny worlds of enamel color, layers, and light.

"You make different colors by combining those colors that already exist."
-Herbie Hancock

I see and think in layers.

 Enameling is actually a pretty simple process. I put some enamel powder onto my metal, heat it until it melts and bonds onto the metal, and I have enameled "successfully". Then I can begin to answer the what, why, when, and where questions. I must consider both the science and the art.

The challenge is similar to painting; anyone can dip a brush into paints and place the colors onto the canvas. The trick is putting the colors together in a way which is pleasing and expressive. How can I learn to do this? Can I be taught? Can I teach myself?

I experiment and play with different types of enamel layers; opaque, transparent, and opalescent enamels. I layer gold, silver, and copper foil within the layers to create reflected light. I use the inspiration of my natural world to create small enamel worlds of light and color. I ask questions about what is possible and try to push the boundaries and break the rules.

 When I have developed and learned my personal "enamel vocabulary", I can begin to "speak" in color, layers, and light.
Artistic fluency should be the goal of any artist.  It's what makes one's artwork unique and personal. It is a result of years of study, experimentation, and play. 
You will begin develop your own enamel vocabulary using some simple concepts of putting enamels together.
Here are some of my color studies from over the years.
(click on any image to see a larger version)

"Knowing how to paint and to use one's colors rightly has not any connection with originality. This originality consists in properly expressing your own impressions."
-Thomas Couture