Cloisonné, my darling

Wow. It's been a long time since I wrote on this thing.
Part of it is just being too tired to think most days, and part of it is that I keep thinking "I have to take some pictures", and then the light isn't there when I remember to, and I forget to when it is there.

At Pennsic there was a great class I was eyeing about Cloisonné enamel. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what classes were "if I feel like it and have time", and what classes were "I have to take this, so if childcare gets fobbed off on someone else, deal with it".  
Cloisonné topped the list. I have been drooling over Cloisonné for a VERY long time. Back in college,
I took a metal and jewelry series of classes which were fantastic, but the teacher didn't do enamel or casting herself, so it wasn't something she felt competent to teach.


Before that, I had done some research on different types of ceramic tile work, and the one that really got exciting for me was tube-lining because...it looked just like Cloisonné , only with clay and glaze.








 Also, I love Cloisonné fishies.

Anyway, there was this amazing class, and I said "I have to take this. Whatever else happens this War, I have to take this."

The teacher was wonderful: really knowledgeable, funny, very flexible, and surprisingly able to keep her calm despite having a class that was half again as large as she had stipulated was the limit (and she provided materials to everyone).

She explained the history, the use in period, and then had everyone draw something that would fit on a little 1 1/2" diameter circle with a shank to bend into a loop for hanging.
She gave us little thin pieces of wire and pliers to make the design areas, and then fired them into place on the disk.
Next we all got to fight over the beautiful colors of glass dust, and fire it again. After a second coat of enamel, the end of class was nigh, and we had to take what we got. I was very happy with what I had the chance to make. It was a curly Mongolian cloud over a fall oak leaf, to represent my significant other and myself. The background was navy blue with a depth I really loved.

Since the person I gifted it to has since misplaced it, I will just have to take the class again next year (darn). I was surprised to see how many people were re-taking the class from last year or from a previous class that War, but afterwards I could understand.

Now I just have to invest in a small kiln!