I am investigating the space between cloisonné enamel and reduction printing and what better place for inspiration than a country that excels at both? I started in Tokyo for two days then joined a craft-oriented small group tour that was excellent. Kyoto was our base, but we journeyed extensively. Creative fruits will develop in time, but for now, here are some snapshots…
Snapshots of Japan.
An article I wrote for Metalsmith magazine just came to my email inbox today and it looks great! Monel is not well known now, but it has been used in extraordinary ways and essentially created the market for stainless steel in the first half of the twentieth century. I was made aware of the alloy by Warren Holzman, who gave a presentation about its use in the Bryn Athyn Cathedral in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, at a SNAG conference. Later, when I was invited to speak at the 2019 Looking Forward Iron Symposium, I decided to explore the history of this material. I am grateful to Warren, John Rais, and Mike Rossi for their initial support of the research. I am also indebted to Archivist Gregory A. Jackson and Historic Buildings Project Manager Drew Nehlig of Bryn Athyn for their help, as well as Carlier Makigawa, Simon Cottrell, Michael Bondi and Glenn Gilmore who took the time to speak with me about their experiences with the metal.
I am pleased to announce that a technical article I wrote for the Society of North American Goldsmiths has been published to their website: http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/2013/01/technical-article/
The article summarizes the research I undertook to develop a large-scale, torch-fired enameling kiln. You will need to be a member to view it in its entirety, but I have made an excerpt available on my writing page. Thanks are due to Melissa Grady and Jeff McClung for their help with the research. Construction materials for Kilns 1-3 and all of the consumable materials were provided through the generous support of a University of North Texas Small Grant and the Studio Department of our College of Visual Arts and Design.
