I am Kathleen Browne, head of Jewelry/Metals/Enameling at Kent State University in Kent, OH and am excited about participating in Heat Exchange and am ready to jump into this with some images of my progress.

I have been working with hand-screened enamel decals for about 12 years (a process I learned at the Centre for Fine Print Research at UWE in Bristol-Thanks, Elizabeth!).  Photography has been at the center of my practice for many years and decals made from my own photographs or from appropriated photos seemed to just make sense.

Below are a couple of images form the “Daily Confidential” series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After completing the “Rhinestone” series ( 2 images below) in 2010, I decided to take a break and work on some new ideas-break away from the jewelry conventions I always used in my work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had been teaching students how to weld copper for years –every since we had Deb Lozier in for a workshop- but I had never really done anything with the process for my own work.

I took the opportunity while participating in last fall’s exhibition, “Surface and Substance” (curated by Jessica Turrell) to produce some work that marked a turn in my practice.

This small body of work titled, Treasure, was a response to a beautiful collection of 19^th and early 20^th century jewelry that was discovered after the passing of one of the members of my family.  As I researched the jewelry and its history, I uncover filial relationships and family milestones that were marked by the giving of jewelry.  I photographed a number of these jewels and converted them to enamel decals.  These “jewel” images sit of the surfaces of organic “fleshy” forms, I have created, like a mark or tattoo on the body in the same way that family history marks and shapes who we are.

 

 

 

 

 

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I see this work as transitional and the work that I am making for Heat Exchange marks a new approach to the photo for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For “Heat Exchange” I have had commercial decals made from some of my photographs. This provides a very detailed and colorful image.  I am struggling a bit with their “exactness” and detail but the challenge is very invigorating.

Here are some preliminary images of the works in progress.  I will start welding this week.  One of the hardest bits of problem solving has been how to build the pin finding structures into the pieces before I weld them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arise my monster!

I had to take a short break from enameling to devote time to other things including planning classes and my upcoming European trip and also to teach a chain-making class. Once I returned to my assortment of samples I felt like it might be time to start considering how the pieces could work together, what steps I needed to take to move forward, whether or not I needed more samples, and so on. ( I start teaching a two-month class in less than two weeks here at Penland and I know my time will be extremely limited then. It really is time to shift from making components to making pieces.)

I am imagining collages or compositions of several elements: an enameled shape, some found steel, a rusty piece, a copper or brass hollow form. These pieces will be held together with rivets, bezel or tab settings, and/or some stitching perhaps. I work well with lots of elements in front of me. I enjoy the process of moving things around 3-dimensionally until a composition feels right, balanced, interesting, complete…I imagine the work as a series with similar but slightly different components. The images I have posted today are a group of sketches. I’m looking forward to seeing how things change once I begin constructing the pieces. Oh! And they will be large brooches!

The enameling is fairly simple as you can see. It’s mostly atmospheric, but I do like the stark quality each has and what they do for these initial compositions.

Thanks so much for reading.

This project has urged me to continue to experiment with the process of evaporation in order to create interesting surfaces.  I have created a few samples, whereby I set up certain conditions that allow a surface to create itself; often with a completely unknown and surprising outcome.  One such experiment allows vinegar to evaporate and then to crystallise on the surface of copper, creating a sand-like texture, not dissimilar to under-fired enamel and with the most amazing colour.

 

My inspiration for this originally came from a visit to Roger Hiorn’s Seizure, below, in which he coated the interior of a South London flat with blue crystals.  Hiorn flooded the flat with 70,000 litres of hot copper sulphate solution, which was then left to cool and crystallise, creating an atmospheric, striking crystal cave.  I loved the contrast between the tight constraints and rules that he had to follow in order to implement and facilitate the work, and the uncontrolled, unknown natural outcome.

 

I have previously combined enamel and patina in order to create a similar effect, where the  patina often creeps over the enamelled surface thereby altering the enamel’s appearance. Below are a few samples from my sketchbook.

 

Here are a few up-close photographs so you can see the surface texture and patina created simply from vinegar fumes.

 

So back here I was waxing lyrical about the parts I was enamelling to put together a bunch of brooches. The image below was taken shortly after the image in that post, and shows the three inserts that I didn’t show before, mid way through enamelling. On the left-hand-side it also shows the centre piece of the work Blue Radical Axis, with the shot taken after applying a clear coat over the graphite, and before adding colour.

The three pieces on the right have each had a clear coat of liquid enamel, and then two layers of linework applied, layer by layer. The lines, first drawn in pen, have been covered in sandblasting grit with the remainder of the grit shaken off, so that just the slim slivers remain, which are then fired on (a technique borrowed from Elizabeth). Now, I say grit, but these are actually Ballotini glass spheres, of a very tiny size, that I would normally use to get a bright (almost polished looking) surface on metal in my sandblaster. They impart more of a texture than a colour, as they fire pretty clear.

The final layers of enamel on this piece, which happened after this photo, were lines again drawn (3 lines in different directions, to represent x, y and z axes) but this time covered in regular white enamel, so that the topmost layer would have the most effect. Finally, the one representing ‘z’ received a thin coat of red.

 

I am so excited too! I am nearly ready to start sampling, which I absolutely love as well. I work in so many ‘layers’ though that it takes a while to get to the kiln. However, I also do enjoy the process of laser and water jet cutting; the experimentation with the medium, embracing the serendipity of the unexpected between technology and the material. All the small multiples are cut and yesterday we finished the silver parts of my ‘companion’ series. The ‘companions’ will have a silver section with small areas of enamel and a white enamel piece with intricate laser engraving. The series of works will be called ‘Streets that run through Houses’ and still revolves around my research into Walter Benjamin’s Arcades Project.

 

 

 

 

Working on one of the lasers in the faculty.

The paper ‘companion’ tests.

 

I love laser engraving the enamel and find the so very fine line very beautiful. For me the laser is another medium for drawing, another layer of meaning I can add with the finest detail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The water jet cutting the multiples

 

Another exciting event was a short trip to Barcelona last week and I saw some wonderful work. Just walking through the city is inspirational and I wish I had had these images before designing the ‘companions’.

 

 

 

 

 

And finally here are a couple of images for Amy: beautiful natural lines in front of a great building.