This is wonderful!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

Harry, would you share with us the selection of enamels you used and how you applied them in each step.

1. The initial job in photo #1 was to use opaque black as the background. When this was completed the job of placing the wire strips required about 24-48 hours of work. The hardest part was to keep the wire strips perpendicular to the surface of the enameled copper square. I used agar gum solution to perform this task and then fired them in place. The black enamel was wet packed to fill the cloisan or cells. One important thing to remember is not to over pack the wire strips with enamel or you will have to spend more time grinding the enamel back to a level surface of the wires appearing through the enamel.

 

2. The particulate material on the copper square is due to not cleaning the surface of the work satisfactoriy after grinding with the soapstone. The surface should be brushed with a toothbrush and rinsed carefully with water.

 

3. The color provided in this piece is due to application of luster made from mica and from gold foil exclusively. No other enamel was used in this piece other than the initial packing with black enamel.

 

4. The remainder of the piece was to sequentially add color using the luster and the gold foil which was used in the spaces between the sun's rays and the "beard" of the moon.

 

5. The rest is history.

 

                                Thanks,

 

                                           Henry

You are welcome. Your work is very interesting also.

 

 

                                                                         Henry

Dear Henry,

I love this. Beyond the exquisite coloring, it has an energy that almost bursts off the computer screen! (And I think that is a combination of the design and the technique.) You have achieved an almost 3-dimensional effect with the metallics. Bravo! It's an inspiration.

Diana

You must be using opaque enamel for the moon and sun faces....yes?

Thanks for showing your process.

 

Diana,

 

    Thanks for your kind comments. It is my first effort doing this. I actually wanted to do it with silver but was told by my teacher that enamels on silver would look somewhat muddy so I did it as she recommended using the black enamel on the copper surface with luster to color it.

 

                                                                                    Henry

Sondra,

 

     No, the only enamel I used was the initial application of opaque black enamel seen before I even added the copper wire for making the cloissone in picture 1. The color came from using gold foil applied to the rays of the sun (picture 3) and then applying the color using Luster to apply to the surface of the enamel  in (pictures 3,4,5,6).

See website for example of lusters.

http://www.step-easy.com/arts/arts-and-crafts-15.htm

 

Henry

Wspaniale !!!  Dziękuję za pokazanie.