A Busman’s Holiday

Gillie Hoyte Byrom

First of all, on behalf of all, I would like to thank Dayna for stepping up at very short notice to tutor our Conference workshop. It was also a great advantage that she provided each of us with a pair of silver cufflinks enamelled with medium-firing white T7 coated with Soyer opal 101 in preparation for painting. This meant that after adding the line drawing and sequenced layers of paints, there was time to apply finishing flux.

The entrancing thing about vitreous enamel colours is that they all change hue when heated in the kiln. A hot enamel painting looks like a Victorian sepia print but magically the metal oxides return to their original colour (more or less) as the enamel cools.

It was the first time I had the opportunity to compare and contrast our enamel painting techniques and styles in a workshop and it very interesting to find what we had in common and how we differ. Dayna demonstrated each technique in turn and guided everyone’s progress with generosity and bubbling confidence.