SILENT GROWTH (second final piece)

this is my proudest piece of the two finals. it is a natural progression from the silver ring. it was a pain in the ass, but i am very happy with it. i think it is going to inform my next work immensely.

AQUA BLOSSOMS (one of two final pieces)

copper and aqua neckpiece

these are some in process images of the final copper piece. i pierced out triangular shapes in copper and soldered them into a cone, then hammered them to form them to the point i wanted them. the largest one was the hardest, but i wanted evidence of my hand and my process in the form.

RESIN!

these are some examples of me testing what i can do with the molds: color & texture-wise. i drilled holes, sanded, cut into them, went back with paint, more resin, trying to find the same balance of interesting exterior/interior space. after making a dozen samples, i started to explore smaller forms that could compliment the larger orifice-like larger ones. also building metal forms for them to live in and grow out of.

the top one reminds me of seaglass

the green one is everyone's favorite in the studio, its not mine but, its ok

the yellow i feel has a wonderful contrast of soft exterior and wet, juicy interior

"sketching"

this was a phase in the middle of the semester when i had been struggling with finding the happy medium between free "sketching" with materials and designing. these are examples of me "sketching" in 3-D.. it is the best way for me to explore ideas. better than drawing something on paper. using fabric and sculpey has been very helpful. the red and green piece served for the model for my next series of studies, which ultimately informed my final two pieces of the semester.

THE most talked about piece of the semseter...

THIS piece stirred up a lot of conversation from my peers. It is to date my most successful piece. (in my opinion) i wanted to create something that would be mysterious, but also inviting. something you could hold in your hand and enjoy the smooth texture of the metal, and the interior could invite you to ponder, touch, lick even, the glossy, juiciness.

the first image is in process, the second image is it coming out of the kiln, after firing the undercoating of enamel color, it would serve as the base color. the blackness of the copper exterior is from the oxidation and heat of firing at 1400 degrees.

the final image is the piece in its final state. after polishing the exterior, and adding patina. the interior was painted with three coats of different red enamel paints. i felt there was a specific color the interior needed to be, and i could not achieve it solely with enamel. there was no perfect color. the paints came to the rescue and i could finally create the same glossy texture and get the perfect color.

silver "growths" ring

this ring started as my first piece of jewelry for the semester. it started from dapping three different sized flat circles into hemispheres, and raising them up and over as if to complete the sphere. you can see it the most in the largest one. then soldered them together and made a ring shank. enamel paint and colored transparent resin inside, finished with a liver of sulphur patina!

summer models

a random thought

i've come to realize that my "name" here is erin ♥ enamel, when in reality i do, but my work does not express that.. wondering if i should change it. it seemed appropriate when we began this blog last winter, although now not so much!

inspirational images (from my backyard!)

THE final piece

this brooch was the last piece i made before the final critique. it seems like this always happens, i get on to something good right at the last second. like it "clicks" right when its down to the wire. i'm really happy with this piece, and i got some really great feedback from the crit. i have a lot of research to do this summer!!

final pieces of the paper/yarn/pearls series

 a ring and a neckpiece

"the company i keep" piece

this assignment was to make a piece of jewelry that was cohesive with our company's work. our company being 14 artists (jewelers or not) who's work we admire or have aspects to them that we would like our own work to include etc. this is what i came up with, working still with the paper and yarn and pearls. i was pretty happy with it, but i can see something else happening with this, i want to continue over the summer with these materials, and others, and see what can happen.. ideas are already brewing.. :)

bees! part deux

BZZZZZZZZZZZ! so i got them all cast in brass! and am beginning the clean up stages.. and then will start to assemble them. i also have a perfect bumble bee. i might make a setting and incorporate him.. we shall see!!

balls balls balls

so ive started to incorporate this really soft yarn into my recent work, and made brass settings for the yellow balls i made previously. i have planished them and started to put them together in groups, and they will become one neckpiece. the others are newer and i have started to play with pearls and the soft yarn. i want to make one long neckpiece out of the two balls wrapped in the yarn. i want it to have multiple balls, maybe like a dozen or so, and be a long continuous line that can then be wrapped in any manner. i want to make it at least 7 or 8 feet long. and im not sure what will come of the little pearl/yarn/paper guy. its like a little nest. its so adorable. maybe i will make a prong setting and make it a ring. :)

paper pieces

for our last body of work tracy and rebecca have "teamed" up and having us just make one body of work. for this we are picking fourteen artists who's work we admire and are similar to the kind of work we would like to make. we will have a "virtual gallery" of our 14 artists, with images of their work that best represents what we are interested in it, and then the 15th artist in the gallery will by us, and our work. so i have been playing with paper, im not sure of the exact makeup of the paper but it is fiberous and easy to work with. using thread i am sewing them into little balls, and am planning to make a neckpiece out of it. im trying to just work quickly, not feeling "precious" about anything, which will help me make more than i would with metal. its a relatively fun process, and i dont know if i will keep with the paper, or move to other papers or other materials, but i am liking what is happening with them!

final? pieces for bees..

the copper ones with blue wax is the result of me putting them in the pickle thinking the metal from electroforming them was thick enough, and not knowing that wax also expands under heat, so they cracked and wax came flowing out of the weak spots.. basically rendering them useless. at least i had saved about 4 single ones in the bath to grow stronger and thicker metal, so i could actually make something for crit. otherwise i would have been in trouuubbbllleeee... :)