Making my Fossil Panels

I thought some of you may be interested in how these are made. I have long been fascinated by fossils
and have been collecting them for many years, some myself and others I have purchased. I love the subtle patterns that have been imprinted on pebbles and rocks over millennia. I spend hours clambering over rocks on beaches around our coastline. These panels evolved from my Rock of Ages panels and incorporate fossils that I own and that I have studied and gazed at in museums.
I began by making a life size cartoon of my planned design. 

Then I pierced out the sheet of copper using my large Knew saw. 

Next I apply the liquid enamel using brushes and sponges. 

When each piece is dry, I scratch through to reveal the bare copper beneath. They are then fired. 

The next step is to add sifted jewellery enamels which are then fired. I finish by adding fused glass beads and gold detail. Next comes the serious business of selecting the pebbles, shells and slate that will complement each piece. This can take a while to get the look I require. 

All the pieces are then payed out onto MDF and cemented in place. 

Finally, I plaster around the stones of each piece. This is probably my least favourite job - messy and very time consuming to get right. Thank goodness I don't have to plaster walls for a living! Finally, a frame, a clean-up and it is finished. I have been making them in pairs, to give customers more options. However, because of the nature of enamelling, inevitably each piece is unique. The colour combinations are all subtly different and by high-firing some and using lower temperatures for others, I vary the opacity of the white undercoat. For me, this is part of the joy of this style of enamelling. I hope you like the finished pieces.