VESSELS
The imagery I choose to put on the surfaces of the vessels reflects cherished moments in my life, times and people I want to remember. Some of the pieces are drawings my young children created, while others are from images I created myself, like the botanical pieces embellished with drawings from rose bushes in my mother’s garden, or palm trees from my childhood home in Florida.
Process
After the drawings are transferred to heavy gauge sterling silver, the piece is etched in an acid bath to reveal the raised silver lines and recesses that will later be filled with enamel. After forming and soldering together, the piece is depletion gilded so fine silver will be raised to the surface to be seen beneath the glass. Once prepared, the washed transparent colors are inlayed into the recessed cells in many layers, usually in 12-15 kiln firings at about 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. Finally, when the inlayed glass reaches the top surface of the silver it is ground flush with various diamond papers to create a soft matt finish. Fabricated elements are attached after the enameling is completed, made of fine and sterling silver that has been sawn and hammered from flat sheet.
