Encouraged by organisations such as the The Guild of Enamellers, which, for the past forty years, has dedicated itself to the encouragement and promotion of the art and craft of enamelling, there are new generations of enamel artists keen to explore this ancient craft in ways that reflect its historical importance and also take it in new, exciting directions. But first, a little foray into some enamelled treasures of the past:

Archaeological finds such as this medieval (late Anglo-Saxon) copper-alloy cloisonné enamelled disc brooch (late 10th - 11th century), constructed from a base-plate of copper alloy and set with a cloisonné enamel pattern, demonstrate the longevity of this art form. Although elements of the brooch have corroded away, the enamel work is intact.

Cloisonné enamels became popular in Japanese culture in the 16th Century including the decorative elements of weapons, both ceremonial and those designed to be used in combat. A tsuba is a sword guard and part of a sword mounting. It is mounted between the sword’s blade and grip to protect the user’s hands.

Edith Dawson was prominent in the Arts and Crafts movement that emerged in the United Kingdom in about 1860 and she worked very much in collaboration with her better known husband, Nelson Dawson. Nelson designed metalwork objects and Edith created and produced jewel-like enamelling to decorate them. They developed a particular style of the Arts and Crafts movement that embodied its core characteristics: a belief in craftsmanship which stresses the inherent beauty of the material, the importance of nature as inspiration, and the value of simplicity, utility, and beauty.

Alexander Fisher (1864 – 1936), who was at the forefront of the revival of enamel work, was the son of a potter who had won a scholarship to study ceramics at the South Kensington School of Design in 1884. Fisher quickly turned his attention to enamelling, travelling to France and Italy to learn more about traditional techniques and, looking to the past for inspiration, produced many exquisite works.

Historically, there are three principal enamelling techniques. First, champlevé, in which parts of the surface of the plate are cut away to leave a solid raised pattern. The hollows are then filled in with colours, and the article is afterwards cleaned, smoothed and baked.

Next, there is cloisonné. In this case thin strips of metal are soldered onto the object, producing a pattern, with the spaces between being infilled with enamel and the whole object fired in a kiln.

Finally, there are painted enamels, a technique for which Limoges was famous and which later was embraced by Alexander Fisher and his enamelling counterpart Sir Hubert Herkomer. Painted enamels are usually copies of pictures, applied to a flat or slightly curved surface such as a shallow dish, invariably made from copper. The article is first coated all over with a continuous layer of plain enamel, on which the design is added with successive layers of colour.

And so to CraftCourses maker and enamel artist, Katie Sanderson.

It’s my Mum's fault (love her for it)! In my late teens, I’d poke my head around the door of my mum's workshop and see her enamelling, then in my early twenties my then boyfriend (now hubby) and I decided to relocate from Wiltshire to Nottinghamshire for work, and my amazing Mum and Dad packed me off with a kiln and enough kit to get me started. I knew no one in Nottinghamshire and it was a good time to have a hobby, so I started playing with the kiln and now and again attended workshops my mum was teaching. But over the next 10 years, I treated it as a hobby that I did alongside developing my career and getting stuck into life in a new area.

But then it all changed after having my second child and being made redundant twice. A friend, who also ran a gallery, suggested I try selling my work. That, along with a realisation that I loved to teach and wanted to share my passion for enamelling, spurred me on to take my craft much more seriously. That was 6 years ago and I haven’t looked back.

 

I’m very lucky to say my workshop that sits alongside my home is in the heart of the gorgeous Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. I have up to 6 students at a time; everyone has their own working space, set of enamels and kit to use during the workshop. I have one to two kilns running, depending on numbers, and invite everyone to enjoy the forest after enamelling with me. 

My workshops always give everyone a great introduction and fairly extensive experience of enamelling techniques. These always include sieving enamel, adding glass decoration, stencilling and wet packing. Depending on whether I have students coming back to expand their skills or if they’ve seen a technique they want to try, I also often cover working with silver foil and transparent enamels, high firing, Swirling, Sgraffito, etc. 

It’s me and the dogs!

 

No month is ever the same, but I’m generally always teaching a few days from my studio and a few days at other venues across the country. I’m then busy working on commissions or pieces for a gallery and shops I put my work in each month. I might have the odd craft fair and days working in the gorgeous Boathouse Gallery in Tintern. We’ve also just started offering our Airbnb guest house which may come in handy for students travelling to the area so I’m busy with that too.  

 

"I don’t have any spare time" would be my first answer but, to be honest, when I’m not enamelling or doing all the other jobs that brings such as the marketing and the administration, and then also looking after the family, I’m generally found out in the Forest walking the dogs. But that often brings with it inspiration: this month I was collecting fallen debris of the forest to use as stencils. 

I’ve painted, done some encaustic art, plenty of sketching which I love but right now I’m in awe of ceramicists and I’d love to get my hands on some clay!

This year I was introduced to the Ukrainian enamel artist Olga Komissarova just via Instagram. On her Instagram ok.enamel she shares a video of her work that in her words is about ‘cities that no longer exist.” It brought me to tears and I’ve followed her work ever since. 

 

If you love it enough to want to talk about it endlessly, and you’re passionate about it to the point you just can't help but share everything about it because you want others to feel that joy too, then do it!

 

I have a very distinct mesh mark on a plastic table where a student momentarily forgot we were firing at over 800 degrees! It’s a great teaching aid!

You can learn to enamel with Katie by having a look at the courses on her CraftCourses maker's page.