What Fascinates Me about Enamel.

For more than fifty years I have explored enamel as both an artist and a teacher.
What first drew me to enamel is the way light moves through glass.

Layered enamel can transmit, reflect, soften, and reveal light in ways that feel almost magical. It reminds me of moments in nature that stop me in my tracks—sunlight breaking through trees in a forest, or the surface of a clear lake reflecting the sky while revealing the stones below.

Those experiences of light, depth, and transparency are what I try to capture in my enamel work.

Meet Ricky Frank

Structure and Freedom

Cloisonné satisfies two sides of my personality.

One side of me enjoys structure and precision. Wires define boundaries and require careful attention.

The other side enjoys freedom. Applying and layering color invites experimentation and discovery as light interacts with glass and metal.

In many ways my work is a conversation between those two forces: structure and freedom, wire and color.
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As a teacher I try to provide enough structure so that students build the confidence to feel free.

Discovering My Own Way

Like many artists, I spent years learning techniques and trying to make work that looked “good.”

Eventually I realized something more important: the real challenge is not simply learning techniques, but discovering what you want to explore through your work.

When my questions changed, my work changed.
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Enamel became more than a material. It became a way of exploring ideas, observations, and experiences.

Why I Teach​

After fifty years of working with enamel, what I enjoy most is helping others discover their own relationship with the material.

My goal as a teacher is not simply to demonstrate techniques. It is to help students build confidence, ask questions, experiment, and develop their own voice.
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Whether in workshops, online programs, or studio conversations, I try to create an environment where curiosity and exploration lead the way.

How I Think About Learning

My background includes art, coaching, and sport psychology.
.Across all of it, I’ve been interested in one thing:

→ How do we improve?

For me, the answer has always come back to practice.

Not just repeating something--
but learning how to notice, adjust, and try again.

I use this way of thinking in my teaching,
in my artwork,
and in how I challenge myself to keep growing.

Working with enamel becomes a place to practice:
→ seeing more clearly
→ making decisions
→ responding to what happens
→ and noticing moments of beauty
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and finding ways to bring them into the work

Over time, both the work and the person evolve.
And in that process, you begin to discover your own sense of beauty—and how to express it.