Classes at the Georgian Bay Centre for the Arts in Owen Sound!

I have a number of metalwork and enamel classes coming up this fall at the Georgian Bay Centre for the Arts in Owen Sound (GBArts for short).

Stacked Gemstone Rings will be offered on Sunday, November 13th, 2022, from 9:30am - 3:30pm.

In this beginner class, students will make three simple and stylish sterling silver stacking rings with colourful gemstone accents. The class will focus on simple tricks for making rings with round sterling silver wire and will also go over the basics of stone setting using pre-formed fine silver bezels. The class will go over texturing and finishing techniques such as how to achieve a high polish, hammer texture, or satin finish to the ring. This is an excellent course for people who are interested in taking the first step in learning how to bezel set gemstones.

Stacked Gemstone Rings



Easy Custom Findings will be offered on Sunday, November 20th, 2022, from 9am - 12pm.

Sterling silver head pins, jump rings, and a copper toggle clasp, ready to be added to beaded jewellery!

This is a great class for people who have done some beadwork, and are interested in learning to make custom metal components to include in their jewellery. Students will learn the basics of using a jeweller’s butane torch to create custom ball-head pins. Students will also learn how to make their own custom jumprings using a jeweller’s sawframe and how to solder and fuse jumprings closed. Lastly, students will learn the basics of how to create a beautiful custom toggle clasp from sheet metal and wire. Copper, brass, and silver wire included. Sterling silver can be purchased for $10 per square inch.

An example of earrings that can be made using head pins and jump rings and an assortment of pearls, crystals and sterling beads.


Half-Drilled Accents on Patterned Metal on Sunday, November 20th, from 1pm - 4pm.

This beginner course will cover how to create a simple post setting for half-drilled pearls or crystals to create a project of custom stud earrings or a textured rosette pendant. There will be half drilled pearls and crystals to purchase from the instructor for $8 to $12. Copper and brass are included in the class. Sterling silver will be available to purchase for $10 per square inch.

Examples of simple pearl stud earrings, and a patterned metal pendant.



Graphite Enamelled Charm on December 4th, 2022, from 9:30am - 4:30pm

This is a wonderful beginner enamelling class for people who enjoy drawing (or even tracing!)! Students will learn how to incorporate their own graphite drawings into vitreous enamel. In the class, students will make simple charms or components that have been decorated with their own drawings and then delicately coloured with transparent glass enamels. Students will learn wet-packing enamel techniques with a focus on effective colour shading. Preparation of the enamel surface for graphite drawings will be covered, as well as kiln firing methods.

Example of how a panel of graphite and enamel can be used in jewellery. This piece is set into a base-metal setting. Similar settings for enamel can be found of Catherine Crowe’s enamel supply website Emporium Vitreum.

All class tickets can be purchased on the Georgian Bay Centre For The Arts website

Turritella Designs is at home in Owen Sound, Ontario

Hello!!

Time sure does fly! It has been some time since I have updated this website, but I hope to be more active in the future.

During COVID, my partner and I made the decision to leave Toronto. I am now located around 2 hours north of the city, in Owen Sound, Ontario.

Owen Sound is a lovely city, and it has a thriving arts community. I will be selling my jewellery and hand woven items in person at the Owen Sound Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings.

I also have a stacking ring class coming up at the Georgian Bay Centre for the Arts on August 28th, 2022. You can sign up for the class here if you are interested.


That’s all for now!

New 2019 Classes Posted!

The first batch of 2019 classes have been posted to the Classes and Events page!

If you’re in the Toronto area, and are interested in learning how to enamel, I have a number of two-day beginner classes (‘Champleve Enamel on Fine Silver Metal Clay’ and ‘Cloissone Enamel on Sheet Metal’) coming up soon.

If you just want a taste of enamelling, and want to walk away with a satifying quick project, ‘Graphite and Enamel Charms’ may be the class for you.

For more adventurous souls who have already tried enamelling, I will be hosting a ‘Plique-a-jour with Fine Silver Metal Clay’ class in April.

Plique-a-jour enamel pendant

Plique-a-jour enamel pendant

EZ-960 Sterling Metal Clay

Last month, I had the pleasure of trying out Bill Struve’s new metal clay, EZ-960 Sterling, now available from Cool Tools. I thought I would share my thoughts on the clay, and some photos of the pieces I made.

Blooming London Blue Topaz Pendant made with EZ-960 Sterling clay

Blooming London Blue Topaz Pendant made with EZ-960 Sterling clay

Workability of clay and body ‘feel’

The clay feels very dense, but not sticky. The clay has a good, smooth texture, and is not grainy, or elastic.

Ability to take texture impressions

The clay takes texture with excellent clarity. It does not distort or stretch when removed from a mold. It is not prone to tearing.

Working time until dry

I found that in Toronto’s humid, warm early summer, I needed to rehydrate the clay after around 11 minutes of open working time. The clay re-hydrated well, and came back to its original consistency after the first re-hydration. After four re-hydrations, the clay binder began to break down, and the clay became almost foamy in texture.

Carving and refining

The dry clay was not brittle, and was very easy to file and carve.

Enamel

The first firing of transparent enamel directly on the metal yielded a bright finish, though this dimmed in subsequent firings in reaction to the copper content of the fired EZ-960 clay. Thompson 2020 flux for silver became progressively more yellow-green in each firing as it absorbed copper oxides from the metal base.

If using transparent enamel on EZ-960 sterling, it is best to do colour tests, because the transparent Thompson enamel colours do not behave as they would on a fine silver base, or as they would on a copper base. When the slight colour shift is taken into account, transparent colours can be used effectively on the alloy, if care is taken to keep the maximum number of firings between three and five, to reduce the colour shift.

Opaque Thompson enamel can be used effectively on EZ-960 sterling. Opaque enamel often discolours around the edges when it is applied to fine silver, but I found that this discolouration was very minimal or even non-existent over EZ-960. I would always recommend that people do colour tests for each enamel colour and metal base type they intend to use, but in my experience, the opaque enamel that I used worked very successfully on this fired clay.

Polishing

The metal takes a fantastic polish.

Half-moon Blooming Peridot Pendant made with EZ-960 Sterling clay

Half-moon Blooming Peridot Pendant made with EZ-960 Sterling clay

Due to the slight colour shift, I think I will continue to use fine silver for enamelling purposes, but I will definitely keep EZ-960 Sterling in mind when making projects that require a little more strength than fine silver. Overall, this clay was lovely to work with, and I am very grateful to have had a chance to try it out!

Colour Testing, Again

I’ve mentioned a few times now that I sift my enamel into 325 mesh grains (used for wet-packing) and extra fine powder (used for painting). Yesterday, I finished a massive colour tester that showed my entire painting colour palette. The colours are shown over a 1030 Foundation White base, and are labelled using graphite. All the colours are Thompson enamel transparents unless labelled MB, in which case they are unleaded Milton Bridge enamel.

Enamel Colour Test

Enamel Colour Test

Breaking Rules - Cloudy Enamel and Eutectic Reactions

When I began enamelling, I was introduced to a few cardinal rules, including:

1)      Always clean your enamel of the ‘fine’ particles, or transparent enamel will be cloudy when it is fired.

2)      Be careful not to over-fire your copper and silver cloisonné pieces, or you may accidentally create a eutectic reaction.

I decided to do some tests yesterday, to see what would happen if I blatantly broke these rules.

Extra fine enamel (2020 Flux for Silver) over copper

Extra fine enamel (2020 Flux for Silver) over copper

When I prepare my enamels, I use stacking sifters to separate the fine particles from the larger 325 mesh grains that I use for wet-packing applications. I usually save the fine enamel powder for painting, so there is no waste. When the fine powder is used for painting, it fires cleanly, though I suspect this is because the powder is applied in such thin layers.

When I applied a thick layer of fine 2020 Flux for Silver over a copper blank, the fine enamel created an unexpected crackle-like pattern in between areas full of very fine bubbles. The result was cloudy, as the rule had suggested it would be, but I hadn't expected the crackle pattern.

I suspect the pattern in the fine bubbles is the result of the piece experiencing heat-shock as it comes up to the fusing temperature inside the kiln. Quite often, if you open a kiln a few seconds after placing a piece inside, you can see fused areas of enamel crack and then re-fuse in response to temperature change as the piece comes up to 1500F from room temperature. I think the fine bubbles trapped in the enamel burst along these cracks and left the crackle pattern behind when the glass fused again.

Eutectic reaction of silver wires over a copper base

Eutectic reaction of silver wires over a copper base

A 'eutectic reaction' is a reaction between metals, such as fine silver and copper, which creates an alloy that has different properties from either parent metal. Cloisonné wires normally sit atop a layer of enamel on a metal base. If the cloisonné wire directly touches the copper metal base, an alloy will form, dissolving the thin cloisonné wire and making the enamel pool strangely against the metal.

In the above photo, you can see ghostly lines where the cloisonné wires were originally placed. The alloy can clearly be seen beneath the enamel, but it only caused one gap to open in the enamel surface. It was reassuringly difficult to create this reaction. I fired the piece up to 1560F and held it there for about three minutes to get this result. I peeked in the kiln a few times to find the reaction progressing slowly. The wires melted gently into the copper base.

I found these experiments to be a very interesting exercise. It's good to know what the results will be when you choose to break the rules.

 

2016 Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Jewelry-Making Contest

I received some excellent news on Friday! My bracelet, Geometric Sunburst, was selected as a Gold Medal Prize Winner in the Bracelet Category of this year’s Fire Mountain Gems and Beads’ Jewelry-Making Contest featuring Metal. Thank you Fire Mountain Gems for your support!!

Geometric Sunburst Bracelet

Geometric Sunburst Bracelet

Innovation - 70th anniversary of the Metal Arts Guild of Canada

Exciting News! An enamelled bracelet of mine has been included in the Metal Arts Guild of Canada ‘Innovation’ exhibit, hosted at 18Karat in Toronto. This juried exhibition celebrates the guild’s 70th Anniversary, and the work will be on display from May 5th to June 2nd, 2016. I will be attending the artist reception held on Friday, May 6, 2016, 7 PM to 9 PM, so if you are in the Toronto area, feel free to come and say hello!

New Enamel Testing and New Pieces

When I began enamelling, I made the decision to work exclusively with lead-free glass. I have been tempted by the larger colour palette available in lead-bearing varieties (especially the lovely Japanese Ninomiya transparents), but I was loathe to adopt a material that was more toxic.

The other day, I discovered that Milton Bridge produces a lead-free enamel line for use on copper, silver and gold. After looking at some online colour samples, I decided to purchase a number of colours to test with my current lead-free Thompson colour palette.

While I love the enamel colours that Thompson produces, I have not been happy with their transparent reds. The pinks they produce are wonderful, however I felt that I was missing a true, warm red. The pinks and oranges perform well, however they are very temperature sensitive, and react poorly when applied directly over silver.

I ordered Milton Bridge 103 Light Rose, 104 Ruby, 134 Paprika and 113 Elf Green.

From Left to Right: Milton Bridge Lead-free 103 Light Rose, 104 Ruby, 134 Paprika, and 113 Elf Green. Applied over Thompson 2020 Flux for Silver, and directly over fine silver foil at the bottom.

From Left to Right: Milton Bridge Lead-free 103 Light Rose, 104 Ruby, 134 Paprika, and 113 Elf Green. Applied over Thompson 2020 Flux for Silver, and directly over fine silver foil at the bottom.

To my surprise, the 134 Paprika is a higher temperature enamel, similar in behavior to Thompson’s 2190 Chestnut, or even 1020 Titanium White. I took my colour sample up to 1520°F to achieve an orange peel texture, whereas I usually fire the Thompson enamel reds and pinks to around 1490-1500°F for a full fuse. 134 Paprika looks traffic-cone orange in its powdered form, but it melts to a lovely, true dark-red. I found that 134 Paprika only shows a mild reaction when it is applied directly to silver, even with multiple high temperature firings!

Colour test and Cloisonné test

Colour test and Cloisonné test

104 Ruby is softer than 134 Paprika, and had a fusing temperature more in line with what I was expecting (around 1500°F). 104 Ruby is a nice blood-red colour, and has only a little reaction when applied directly over silver. The sample rose cloisonné was done mostly with 104 Ruby, showing that the colour darkens considerably when it is applied in multiple layers. I had done some shading of the rose petals using 134 Paprika, but the additional layers of 104 Ruby seem to have swallowed this. For your reference, the background teal colour of the cloisonné rose was done using Thompson 2420 Sea Green.

Cloisonné test using Thomspon 2020 Flux for silver, 2420 Sea Green, Milton Bridge 134 Paprika, and 104 Ruby

Cloisonné test using Thomspon 2020 Flux for silver, 2420 Sea Green, Milton Bridge 134 Paprika, and 104 Ruby

103 Light Rose behaves similar to 104 Ruby, and fuses nicely at around 1500°F. 103 Light Rose was the most reactive of the Milton Bridge reds and pinks I tested, but it was a beautiful bright bubble-gum pink when applied over Thompson 2020 Flux. Light Rose seemed to be the only one of the reds that had a noticeable discolouration associated with temperature, and it seemed to yellow slightly when applied directly to silver.

113 Elf Green is a wonderfully bright, light green that strongly reminds me of the old lead-free Thompson Peppermint. I think this green will soon become a favourite of mine. Once more, 113 Elf Green fuses nicely at around 1500°F, and shows no discolouration associated with direct application to silver.

In addition to my enamel colour testing experiments, I finished a new pair of Peridot half-moon earrings in the ‘Blooming’ series, and a granulated pendant with a 4mm rose-cut Chrysoprase accent.

Blooming Peridot Half-moon Earrings

Blooming Peridot Half-moon Earrings

Granulation Pendant with 4mm rose-cut Chrysoprase

Granulation Pendant with 4mm rose-cut Chrysoprase

 

 

 

New Classes Added in May and June

I've just updated the Classes and Events page to include new classes I will be hosting at BeadFX in May and June.

A session of Champleve Enamel on Art Clay Silver will be held during the week on May 11th and 12th.

Champleve Cedar Pendant

Champleve Cedar Pendant

A new class covering how to make Photopolymer texture plates will be held in the evening on May 13th. I'm really excited about how versitile photopolymer plates can be! These plates can be used for metal clay, polymer clay, paper craft, paint/ink stamping and any other time you can think of to use a texture!

UV photopolymer plate, and examples of future projects

UV photopolymer plate, and examples of future projects

A second new class, Introduction to Granulation, will be offered on June 26th. If you like the look of the granulation projects I have posted photos of over the last few weeks, this is your chance to make one for yourself!

Granulation Pendant with Rhodolite Garnet

Granulation Pendant with Rhodolite Garnet

Granulation Ring with Rainbow Moonstone

I love how smoothly Argentium silver fuses!! I had a ton of fun making this granulated ring. Arranging the silver grains and bent wires was just as relaxing as cloisonne. :)

Granulation Ring with Rainbow Moonstone

Granulation Ring with Rainbow Moonstone

Granulation Ring with Rainbow Moonstone

Granulation Ring with Rainbow Moonstone

Granulation Ring with Rainbow Moonstone

Granulation Ring with Rainbow Moonstone

Granulation Ring with Rainbow Moonstone

Granulation Ring with Rainbow Moonstone


Bead and Button Show Class Registration is Open!

Class registration for the 2016 Bead and Button Show opened yesterday at noon. If you will be going to the Bead and Button show, and there are classes you are interested in taking, I urge you to reserve your seats as soon as possible.

A big thank you to those of you who have already signed up for enamelling courses with me! I look forward to meeting you in Milwaukee!

Graphite and Enamel Cockatiel Brooch

Graphite and Enamel Cockatiel Brooch