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Thoughts on artistic development: Part 1

7/4/2015

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I received an email today, with some questions about my thoughts on the balance between technique, creativity, and expression. My students come from all types of backgrounds; sometimes they are painters who want to learn about glass on metal, retirees who want to learn a new hobby, jewelers who want to add some color into their work, and more. Some have extensive art backgrounds and some have none. 
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My Own Experience and Early Years
I became serious about enameling when I was 23 years old, fresh out of college, and having never taken an art class, except for the few times in high school I couldn't get out of taking it. No interest, no skills, no sense of wanting to express myself. Nothing. And then I discovered enameling and somehow came to the conclusion that this is what I would devote much of my life doing. Confidence or ignorance, I don't know which was stronger, but I suffered through many years of believing that "I can't draw!" before I began to trust my artistic ability.

I started learning technique, since that's what I was excited about and could actually do. I was able to work with small tools easily and could sit and focus on small objects for long periods of time. I had somewhat of an analytical mind (I attended Emory University, home of many doctors, dentists, and lawyers)  and I easily understood how to apply the scientific method of problem solving to the task of teaching myself to enamel and how to create studies to learn new ways of working with light, texture, and color. I've never been afraid to ask questions, and this has allowed me to push my enamel layering techniques past the conventional methods of making cloisonné enamels. 

So after a little bit of quality instruction from a jewelry/enameling school in NYC back in the early 1970's, and lots of trial and error afterwards, I was on my way towards being an enamelist, but an enamelist who didn't have a voice or sense of design. I quickly realized that although technique came very easily to me, I didn't know what I was doing with the material to make "good" art, whatever that was. I took design classes, watercolor classes, painting classes, and drawing classes (life drawing was the worst. I felt like the biggest loser ever in those classes). 


Luckily, my technique was so good that I could get by just on that. My enamels looked so bright and clear with smooth, flowing wirework that I received some reinforcement and positive feedback. I actually had a piece accepted into a major enameling show at Aaron Faber Gallery in NYC. But I knew something was missing. 


All through those early years I struggled with "who I am" questions. I enjoyed enameling and the "art lifestyle", but also loved sports, and in particular soccer. I was lucky to be mentored by an incredibly successful soccer coach, Lou Gallo, who had been my high school coach. I was his junior varsity coach while he coached the varsity team in Rye, NY. I lived in my parents basement and set up a studio there, and did this for three years as i went back and forth between enameling and soccer. I loved both, but knew that to be successful at anything I would have to make a commitment to it. And I didn't know which path to take. 

The pieces below were made around 1978. I had only been enameling for a few years, and these were my first attempts at making enamels which addressed my feelings! The piece on the top is one of my first cloisonné pieces. My heart was always in the mountains of upstate NY: The Adiirondacks, where I spent most of my childhood summers attending an 8 week long summer camp for boys on beautiful Lake George. Those mountains still haunt my imagery. 
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Part 2 Coming Soon: 
Thoughts on Expression, Creativity, and Learning
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New Necklace Design

5/26/2015

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In the summer of 2014 I began working on a new body of work as I prepared to sell my work at Longs Park Art & Craft Show in Lancaster, PA. I was concerned that I didn't have enough time to make new enamels and complete the goldsmithing required to make them into finished pieces of jewelry. My wife solved my problem by rummaging through my studio and all of the trays of samples and studies I had made over the years. She spread them out on a desk and started to design bracelets and necklaces. The Green Necklace to the right was one of the first of this new series. 

Part 2 of this series was designed and made in Winter 2014 as I prepared for the Atlanta ACC show. I named the series "Divergent Elements", and began to make new enamels to join with already existing samples and tests from more than 37 years worth of enameling. 

This Design Process could be called a "Collage Collaboration", as my wife and I would go back and forth moving pieces around until we found a combination we liked. Pat would design a few groups, and I would look at them for awhile that night and make changes. Then she would come back the next day and move things around some more. I was learning to let go and trust the process and allow myself to exist in the chaos of not knowing how these would turn out. 

I also began sketching in order to quickly create some images of how these enamel components would join together into a finished necklace. 

Individual settings were made for each enamel, and then I began the assemblage process of soldering links and adding gemstones. The final pieces were really satisfying. 
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  • Home
  • Cloisonne´ Jewelry
    • Figurative/Celestial
    • Abstracts
    • Landscape Series
    • Large Pendants
    • Medium Pendants
    • Small Pendants
    • Earrings
    • Chokers
    • Bracelets
    • Rings
    • What is Cloisonne´?
  • The Enamel Channel Video Library
  • Learn to enamel
    • Free Videos
    • Creative enamel approach
  • About Ricky
    • About Ricky
    • Inspirations
    • My Wife's Artwork
  • Lump Enamel Sale
  • ricky's jewelry archives
  • Mailing List