My medium is vitreous enamel, usually fired onto spun copper bowls or small panels. Repeated firings in the kiln melt the enamel, which is specially formulated powdered glass, until it fuses to the underlying metal.
My approach is highly experimental and by using techniques of “high firing” and “fall-through”, the pieces are taken to much higher temperatures than normal to encourage chemical reactions between the enamel and the copper. This causes new colours and patterns to emerge in unpredictable ways so that every piece is unique.
For gold colours, a form of enamel flux is used but the gold only develops when the metal is glowing almost white hot. Too cool and it just comes out brown. Meanwhile mottled patterns develop in other areas when separate coatings of pure white and flux interact in the molten state.
