Enamelling in the Tropics!

What a week to pick to be teaching a three day enamelling course! Was it hot? Great time though and they produced some really super work. Think they all deserve medals for sheer endurance! We had three days at SCOLA and we began with sgraffito on copper using liquid white. The we moved onto cloisonné using fine silver discs from Cooksons. Some people were complete beginners and a few had done a little before. I thought they did brilliantly.

'Fossil' Enamelled Brooches

 I have been making more of these and now have some in my Folksy shop as well as in Lovers Lights Gallery in Twickenham. I love making them as each one comes out totally different. I pierce them out in 1.2 copper sheet and solder hand made brooch findings to the reverse. I then apply Balls liquid white enamel by brush and allow it to dry, before sgraffittoing the design with an old diamond glass engraving tool. after an initial firing I then sieve on jewellery enamels and firing again. It is with this firing that the magic happens. With liquid white it is opaque at low temperatures but when fired harder it becomes transparent. I try to keep some of this opaque quality, but allow parts to acquire that wonderful golden glow. Sometimes I add touches of carefree lustre gold in a final firing.

Redcurrant Sorbet

How does this relate to jewellery and enamelling I hear you wonder. Well, the truth is I have been dealing with industrial quantities of soft fruit from the garden since the weekend. I had a really good crop of redcurrants and found this recipe that I thought I would share with you. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2206/redcurrant-sorbet
It is scrummy! I only used 120g of sugar and I also used an ice cream maker which I suspect makes the finished result much smoother. The first batch I meticulously picked out every scrap of stalk, but the next time I wasn't quite so fastidious because it all gets sieved out. Try it and see what you think. Two more batches and then I can get back to enamelling!

Brighton Pavilions and Fossils

Tomorrow I am going to deliver to Bellis Gallery in Brighton, two exciting new brooch designs. The Fossil brooches are sgraffito in liquid white on copper with jewellery enamels over. They were great fun to do and use techniques I have developed working on my Fossil Panels and Rock of Ages panels. I am planning to do more, and to use different fossils as inspiration other than ammonites. The Brighton Pavilion Brooches use a riso screen design. They both have handmade copper brooch findings that I soldered on before enamelling, using hard solder. I have also made a small range of hand made greetings cards using these designs. I love the range of effects using the liquid white. Fire cooler and the colours appear opaque. Fire hotter and longer and the white clears and golden colours start to appear. The spontaneous nature and range of effects make this very exciting, as truly no two are the same.

Tennis and Website

I am finding the Wimbledon Men's
Final far too stressful to watch so have been watching through my fingers whilst updating and refreshing my website. www.lindaconnelly.co.uk. Take a peek and see what you think.
Go Andy Go!!!

New Folksy shop

Today I have succeeded in setting
Up a new shop on Folksy. Nearly sent me goggle eyed but it'll we worth it when all the sales roll in lol. I have grappled with computer code, photoshop and Google analytics. Don't know whether to celebrate or scream out loud. If you have a moment perhaps you would like to take a look. http://folksy.com/shops/LindaConnelly
If you could like something on your Face book page that would be brilliant. Put my Jubilation pendants and earrings in there just in time for the Olympics! And Andy at Wimbledon of course!