Christine Pearson uses subtle textures, simple shapes and bold colours to create her individual pieces of wearable art. Based in Leicester, she works in Enamelled Silver and Copper.
Trees are such amazing things, their shape and form are a constant inspiration at any time of year.
I have just finished some more sketches of trees using steel sheet, wet process enamels, and rust!
My diary is filling up with events for 2024. Although January is a quiet time I’m already busy creating new stock for galleries, applying for craft fairs and planning enamelling workshops.
I am determined to spend some time just experimenting and creating some of the ideas that float into my head. Having some fun with the possibilities of enamelling. So - in between the other distractions of running a business I need to set some time aside for that essential creative process!
Texture experiments
Lots of lovely events, art shows, craft shows and teaching! It’s been another busy enamelling year. . Highlights? The conversations I have had with other people. It is fantastic to share my enamel journey with others and share their experience of trying this ancient craft.
At shows I often meet people who have never tried enamelling, or did it just once - long ago, at school. Listening to comments about my work, how individuals respond to the colours or when someone makes a connection with a piece. Jewellery is such an individual thing and has its own life beyond me as its maker.
Meeting people who have bought jewellery from me before feels such a privilege. Many recognise my work from a gallery or previous event. It seems I have developed a recognisable style!
Fargo Makers Market.
Beginners Enamelling Group in Corby
I am often asked where my ideas come from, how do I create new pieces?
The quick answer? Looking and seeing…noticing what is around. Shapes of leaves, the texture of decaying buildings, the colours of fallen leaves in Autumn. Taking photos, sketching, tearing an image from a magazine- finding ways to record and remember those ideas for the future. Not judging those initial thoughts, just storing them for when I need inspiration.
Then, when I’m ready to start a new piece or range of jewellery, I can look back and use these images and thoughts to start my designs
I find it hard to stop when the ideas start to flow!
Its always good to try new things. There are so many possibilities with enamel. The other day I spent time with a friend using some of the techniques I’d recently learnt with Amanda Denison at the Guild of Enamellers Conference.
We used some large sheets of steel to enamel onto. The second layer of enamel was scratched and scraped before firing. This scraffito effect was worked into after firing, scratching back to the bare metal. The steel was encouraged to rust, giving some wonderful effects.
As usual I forgot to take photos but here’s a couple of the finished pieces. The scenes are based on some photos I took at my brothers farm in the Staffordshire Moorlands.
I love working on a larger scale!
This pendant is enamel om copper. Like all my work it has been fired several times to build up the depth of colour. Transparent and Opaque enamels combine in each layer. Copper wires show details in the landscape and the section of unenamelled copper flows through the scene.
The piece is mounted in a brass setting - with a cord.
I am often asked to teach beginners how to enamel. Its such a pleasure to share this fascinating craft and watch the surprise at the changes heat makes to the enamel and copper as pieces come out of the kiln. Even in a short space of time a lot can be achieved - with guidance and advice everyone can enamel.
There are so many possibilities and effects that can be created, I know I am still learning!
Beginners Enamelling Workshop
Beginners Enamelling Workshop
I was invited to include some work in a selling exhibition at the Court Barn Museum in Chipping Camden. When I was also asked to include big, bold, experimental pieces I didn’t need asking twice!
When I worked as a jewellery designer for a large company I was often expected to predict what would sell or follow trends. The freedom to produce work I enjoy is much more rewarding, and the irony is…. people seem to like it.
If they don’t like it that’s ok too. Jewellery is such a personal, individual thing.
It was great to be able to showcase some new pieces, and I was even able to spend a couple of days in the museum - making my jewellery and talking to customers.
Another busy year! The run up to Christmas was hectic. As in previous years I took part in several in person events, which I love to do. It is quite hard work, travelling and setting up my jewellery ready for people to look at. The best part is having conversations with customers and fellow stall holders. When you work alone you don’t get any feedback on your work and its great to hear and see peoples reactions. Its great to meet people who have seen my work online or in Galleries.
The worst part? Outside events in the bitter cold and rain. Trying to stop things blowing away!
I’m already looking ahead to events for 2023…watch this space and do follow me on Instagram or Facebook for the latest places I will be.
Working on larger, 3D shapes in enamel gives new opportunities and challenges. I decided to enamel some copper bowls, just a couple, on one of the hottest days of the year. With the large kiln set at 840* C and the blinds down I got my notebook ready to record the process, colours, firing temperatures and timings. Its important to be organised!
A few hours later I had fired four bowls, multiple times, in different colour combinations to my original plans. Every surface of my workshop was covered in enamel powders, sifters and it looked like chaos! I usually pride myself in working in a controlled, methodical way. Not that day!
My notebook had one sentence written at the top of the page. My colours were mixed up and would have to be replaced - not wasted though as I can use them to “counter enamel” future pieces.
Creative flow? Inspiration? Who knows, but I had fun and was quite pleased with the results.
They were with me at Art in The Park in Leamington Spa last weekend. They attracted lots of attention. I sold three, which has encouraged me to make more.
I might choose a cooler day next time!
Blue bowls, forth firing. The old flat iron stops the bowl warping.
Finished green bowls.
I decided to revisit the cell ideas I worked on last year. Planning how they will be made always comes first as any soldering, shaping and metalwork has to be done before the enamelling. The drawing are just a few of the different cell shapes I looked at. Next stage was to cut paper templates and cut the copper. Not sure if the photo shows it but the copper is also slightly domed after cutting and filing smooth.
Next stage? Add the brooch fittings and decide on the colours!
It seems that rings are being worn again! I’ve had a restock of lots of jewellery for my craft fairs and events. These little enamelled silver and copper rings are proving popular at the moment. They can be worn on there own or stacked with other rings.
Each one is different. They are great fun to make too!
Some colours are very illusive. When using enamel it is never just a matter of mixing a new colour. Red and yellow grains of enamel do not make orange, after firing you see red and yellow speckles.
I had an idea of a way to layer two different yellows to give a deep, bright colour. Combining a translucent and an opaque yellow gave me a zingy yellow, which i will use a lot in the future.
The blue and green combinations also combined an opaque and translucent colour. The depth of colour is fabulous!
Visiting beautiful houses and seeing art, sculpture and craft work is what makes Art House such a special event. This year the Art House event is online. The website is designed so you can click on a door to see the artists in that house! A great idea to introduce practicing artists from Leicester and Leicestershire.
Click on the picture to go to the Art House site.
https://www.art-house.org.uk/
This piece was inspired by a recent walk around Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The two figures are based on the shapes and style of Barbara Hepworth - The Family of Man.
Members of the Guild of Enamellers were sent a pack of materials to create an enamelled piece, based on the theme The Great Outdoors.
This challenge was much harder than I imagined. It made me realise I’m not used to including different materials in my work. My first ideas involved flowers, trees and cows. After playing around with different compositions I still wasn’t inspired.
As I was looking through my photographs I came across some my husband and I had taken during our first visit to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and in particular the Barbara Hepworth Statues, The Family of Man. These statues are arranged on the hillside and I found them thought provoking and beautiful. It was our first trip out of Leicestershire for several months and the change of scenery and art in the landscape was inspiring.
My enamelled piece is an attempt to represent the hills of Yorkshire in the background and the two figures in the foreground represent me and my husband and all the many walks and places we have visited over the last year.
I wanted to use each of the materials that Jill had sent us. I also tried not to waste any of the materials. The square of copper was cut into 2 to represent hills in the background and as the copper was quite thin and soft it was easy to bend it into an undulating shape. The copper tube became the bases for the two figures and the rest I flattened and cut into the shapes for the figures. I cut holes and domed a couple of the pieces to try and make it more three-dimensional. When it was time to enamel (all W G Ball) I used clear flux (477) then budgerigar green Transparent (430) on the hills, some areas with grass green opaque (686) and celadon green opaque (664). I used the sequin waste as a stencil for some of the background on the hills.
I enamelled the two copper tube bases with clear flux (477) then bronze green transparent (492).The shapes on top were enamelled with flux, then a layer of bronze green. One of the pieces has some transparent orange (468), which I scratched into. A piece of the silver foil is included on one of the shapes. I did not know what to do with the steel washers, they looked a bit too shiny, but I liked the size and shapes . I counter enamelled one side and was quite pleased with the effect. All of the pieces are counter enamelled and glued to the dowel with epoxy resin.
The figures are supported by the wooden dowel, with the pipe-cleaner wrapped around both bases and glued into the copper pipe. I decided that I felt the wood was too light and dyed it with some drawing ink to match the colours of the sequin waste. I wrapped the silver plated wire around part of the dowel to give a different look.
I really enjoyed making this piece! It pushed me out of my comfort zone by using different materials and also having a figurative aspect of my work which is something I rarely do. If I was to make it again I would make more of a contrast between the background pieces and the figures as I feel they get a bit lost in the landscape.
I love the Barbara Hepworth style shapes on the figures, I think this would look great as a pair of earrings. I’m not sure what Barbara would have thought though!
Originally I had intended to make the background one piece by riveting it together. I’m glad I changed my mind as it’s nice to arrange the pieces in different ways. With a bit more planning I feel I could have used a more contrasting colour for the figures, everything is quite green.
It’s tricky talking on camera…trying to say something to an unseen audience! This two minute video shows a few pieces of my work and gives a quick glimpse into how I make my jewellery
Working on these larger pieces encourages me to experiment with textures and colour. My pieces still need to be wearable and so I had soldered on some fittings for the pin before I added the coloured enamel.
Several layers of different blues went into making this piece, as well as some glass ‘threads’ and beads. there is some planning along the way, but the kiln works its own magic!
Using my new kiln has encouraged me to make some larger pieces. My big brooches and pendants are always a talking point and I love having the large area to fill with texture and colour. Looking through a sketchbook I rediscovered some images of cells. The shapes really lent themselves to large, textured and formed copper pieces.
Making paper templates was the first thing I did. Cutting and filing the copper was straightforward…then I used a O shape steel punch to put the first marks on. Hammering and doming gave the gentle curve I wanted.
This is so much fun, and the best thing to do when your mind is busy and you need a creative outlet.
Adding the copper wires, little silver circles and beads was fairly straightforward. they just needed the tiniest spot of Klyr Fire to glue them into place. They were sunk into the layer of enamel simply by popping them into the kiln and letting the heat do the work, softening the flux so they could sink down.
The colours needed some planning - the lower temperature colours needed to be fired last. I also had to make sure the rivet holes did not fill with enamel.
Luckily the larger pieces did not warp in the big kiln, it was worth counter enamelling!
The final stages still needed to be done with care. I prefer to see the copper edges, and cleaned those up. The riveting went smoothly, no cracked enamel! A copper chain was added to the pendent, and that was it! The Herbaceous Borders were complete.
I started early, and it was as much as I could do to stop for a tea break or even lunch! Adding the colour to these large pieces was very absorbing and a whole day just flew by.
I started off by wet packing, adding washed and wet, ground enamel to the background areas of greens. Wet packing meant I could move the enamel around and have some control over where the different greens ended up on my copper. I’d also textured, cut and shaped some circles of copper, as well as some copper wire which I embedded into the clear flux underneath.
Once the greens had dried and had been in the kiln, the fun could really start. Even at this stage, I still had to plan which I was doing and in what order I’d fire the colours. I knew that the red would need to be fired last. I also added decorative elements to add interest and colour. There are glass threads as well as copper discs and some tiny little copper and silver circles from when I made the holes for the rivets. To give texture I also found a few colourful glass beads.
It was great fun and the large Paragon kiln was much easier to work with than my usual Kitiki kiln. It gave me an even heat inside the kiln and more room to manoeuvre. These large pieces just would not have fitted in my other kiln.
Usually I make notes and keep track of the colours I use and the temperatures I fire too. As I got further into the day, my note taking stopped.
When I knocked over a whole pot of Lapis Blue enamel powder onto the carpet I knew it was time to stop for the day.
