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I haven't posted here recently so I will add updates soon
Please email if you have an inquiry - Thank You. The workshop at bespoke925 last weekend produced some exiting new sample work and individual approaches to working in enamel. Participants explored a range of effects and developed their own visual vocabulary with colour. The magic happens when the variety of combinations that arise out of experimentation are refined. The wow factor is palpable ! Just a few pictures to record a brilliant couple of days....... Thanks to all x
My frost beakers and keepsake boxes were selected for the Goldsmiths Fair VIP evening at The Savile Club, in Mayfair London. With the displays of silverware and jewellery set within the stunning interior of this 18th Century House the ambience felt timeless. The beautifully lit ballroom filled with our works was fused with accompanying piano music and solo singing. It all seemed to elegantly herald the Christmas festivities ahead. It was quite a magical night. Read more about the evening on the Goldsmiths Fair Website. From 26th Nov - 24 Dec these pieces are on view during the De Vroomen Silver Festival Exhibition, Mayfair London. www.devroomen.co.uk/
Keepsake Boxes / available to order. These small box forms where really popular at Goldsmiths Fair this year.
I am really excited to be working on other sizes and different color & pattern combinations...... watch this space !  Been a bit too busy recently to add to my news pages here recently, but I've been posting working shots occasionally on my Instagram page.
https://www.instagram.com/ruthballenamel/?hl=en My latest collection is getting frosty ! These two beakers will be on display at Goldsmiths Fair - Week One. Come and see me on Stand 50 !
Lots of interesting surface effects were achieved on my course this weekend at silversmiths Rajesh Gogna's new studio. The new studio is a lovely, light, well equipped space, and is now located in rural Staffordshire. It was a great weekend, and I am always stunned by the personal responses to surface and embellishment delegates accomplish. If you would like to find out more bout courses at Bespoke 925 check the website here http://www.bespoke925.com/ Today I was privileged to take part in the The Hand Engravers Association demonstration day at the Bluecoat in Liverpool. The event was hosted by Bob and Joan Porter who have a shop and studio in the retail quarter of the Bluecoat complex. The techniques of leading engravers, Alan Craxford, Angus McFayden, Chris Rowley, and Perry were generously demonstrated to members of the public and students of Liverpool Hope University, who enthusiastically enjoyed a taster in the skills of illustration and lettering on the metal surface. If you would like to learn more about engraving and want to check out the next event have a look at the Hand Engravers Association website > http://www.handengravers.co.uk/liverpool2016 The Goldsmiths Fair is such a special time. I had a lovely week and good sales. My new beakers and the flow dishes illustrated with Koi fish were a great talking point. http://www.goldsmithsfair.co.uk/ The symposium was a great chance to explore print on enamel surfaces alongside learning about the amazing variety of work that can be achieved with ceramic, glass and refractory concrete. It was also lovely to catch up with students and colleagues ! Find out more > http://www.permanentprint.org/ The images below are not my work but are examples of delegates samples made on the event.
This week is the degree show, and sadly also the end of the course, for the 3D Contemporary Craft Degree at UCLAN in Preston. It has been a lovely few years teaching with the group and the students have brought together a great body of work. They go onto display their work at New Designers in London. Watch out for the work of Charlotte Tracy, Mellissa Yarlett, Helen Miller, Lily Preston, Rebecca Barwell, Katie Timpson, Kirsten Corkish, Katie Taylor, Mara Kurze, Alice Smalley, and Leah Howarth At the Guild of Enameller's conference this year I taught surface finishes in enamel. We explored every surface other than glossy ! This is just a sample of the test pieces done by the participant enameller's in the session.
www.guildofenamellers.org  Goldsmiths' Fair 2015 Exhibitors Announced!
The names of the 168 jewellers and silversmiths who will be exhibiting at Goldsmiths’ Fair 2015! are on the goldsmiths fair website...... I am exhibiting week two ! http://www.goldsmithsfair.co.uk/exhibitors/week-two/ The Hand Engravers Association showcase of engraving CUT IN CLERKENWELL at Craft Central, London is in full swing. Check out the HEA facebook page for more information and photos of the events. Today I thought I would post this handout that reveals the process behind my Champleve Enamels. Click to view > If you have problems loading this link > try again by clicking here
ABOUT CUT IN CLERKENWELL Cut in Clerkenwell is an exciting event, that first took place in 2013, created to raise the profile of the art of hand engraving. Aimed at the public, craftspeople and aspiring hand engravers, entrance to the event is free with a small charge for taster sessions. Over the course of a week, there will be drop in demonstrations, taster sessions (booking only), an exhibition and a chance to meet expert hand engravers. Hand Engraving Taster Sessions will be Tuesday to Friday from 10am and 1pm, taught by very experienced practitioners. Available by pre-booking only at £30 per session, limited places only. 2nd - 8th March 2015 at CRAFT CENTRAL 33-35 St John’s Square, London, EC1M 4DS Opening Times: Monday 2nd March: 1pm to 5pm Tuesday to Friday: 10am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday: 11am to 4pm I just have one piece in the display but here are some images of engraving development on the beakers I showcased at Goldsmiths last year. All this is done with four basic hand engravers !  Enamel on Silver Beaker - 10cm high x 8cm wide at top and 3cm at base. Exhibited at The Goldsmiths Fair 2014 Today I am reflecting on colours and their impact.
As you can see, I love blue, a colour highlighted on Twitter today by my good friend Pauline Hughes who is a very talented sculptural ceramicist. Her fundamental interest is in the figurative and her visually arresting work can be viewed on her Twitter Posts and Website http://www.paulinehughesceramics.com/ This is a piece I made for the Goldsmiths Fair 2014. My inspiration for this enamel on silver beaker was the study of light shadows, blue emerging as the dominant colour theme as I tried to recapture the moment of sunlight through glass. Colour has impact all the time in fashion and this colour has been in vogue a lot recently. If you are in London you could also check out the latest exhibition at Studio Fusion which highlights BLUE & BLACK. I am delighted to have been invited to submit a piece of work for the events at Cut in Clerkenwell next month. Although I do not consider myself to be an engraver as such, I do engrave on each piece and the technique is central to the effects that I employ in my enamelling. The engraving under the enamel plays an essential supporting role in the interplay of light, colour and surface.
Cut in Clerkenwell is an exhibition to promote engraving skills and is organized by the Hand engravers Association. The events will be hosted at Craft Central in London and will take place during the week of the 2nd - 8th March 2015 - Please check the websites listed for more information. Craft Central https://www.facebook.com/craftcentraluk http://www.craftcentral.org.uk/ Hand Engravers Association https://www.facebook.com/handengravers http://www.handengravers.co.uk/news-and-events Every now and then social media throws up some wonderful comments about my work, which, I must say always astonishes me each time it happens. I recently joined Twitter and spotted this blog post yesterday by leading New York designer Richard Rabel...... http://richardrabel.com/the-modern-sybarite/contemporary-british-silversmiths/ > Read more about Richard Rabel who is the founder of The Modern Sybarite Website.
I was very lucky to be part of an invited group workshop this weekend. Myself and my colleague Rebecca Gouldson travelled to Denmark to participate in the equivalent of a "bus mans holiday". The workshop was hosted by Flemming the owner of http://www.ravstedhus.dk/ which is a a leading supplier of materials and tools to the jewellery trade in Denmark. The initial concept of the workshop and invitation to join was made by Tom Lundsten, who is a supplier of lead free Thompson Enamels and is also the chairman of the Danish Enamellers Association, which is affiliated to the Guild of Enamellers in the UK. Ravstedhus is an amazingly well equipped space centered in the small town of Ravsted in South Jutland - located some four hours journey from Copenhagen. Knowing that the opportunity to get together is rare, Tom's intention of the workshop was to provide an informal and open working space for the group of assembled enamellers. The event was facilitated as a weekend of professional development in which we could exchange working practices and get together in a mutually beneficial format. Without any formal presentation each member of the group was free to work on personal projects, and by the very sharing nature of enamellers, everyone found themselves encouraging debate and swapping technical information. This is generally done in a notorious fashion, by talking about the enamels and their characteristics by the numbers they are coded with. Its a very specific enamelling trait ! and quite funny to listen to once you get into the lingo ! Read more about my trip here......
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Welcome to my posts. Here I add notes about events / interests / developmental work / and various inspiring stuff that catches my attention. Archives
January 2019
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