Enamel workshop

I did a two day workshop this past weekend on enameling on silver. It was held by my local pmc guild and taught by Mary Ellin D’Agostino & Olivia Competente. We learned plique a jour, which is like stained glass in that you build a silver framwork with no backing, so light shows through the enamel. The leaf is my plique a jour piece (which is very difficult to photograph!) It was fussy and very time consuming, and I'm not really thrilled with the result, but I'm glad I know how to do it now in case I have an idea that is suited to this method.

I'm happier with the circle pieces, they are just enamel fired to the surface (I don't know which french term applies to this method). You add a layer of color and fire for 2 minutes, add more color, fire again, add more, fire etc. The hamster in my head is working overtime, spinning his wheel as I ponder how this method can apply to my work. In the meantime I will be ordering enamels and tools and experimenting with this new way of applying color to metal.