Ilona Furrokh

Enamel & Pewter

My background has primarily been in zoology and veterinary nursing of Zoo and exotic animals, but I have always maintained a degree of crafting; learning amongst other things wood & stone carving, stained & fused glass and silversmithing. My intention when moving to Cumbria, was to focus more upon the crafts I already knew, but when we were working on the house in 2017, I came upon enamelling quite by coincidence when looking for creative things to do with old copper pipes, and the versatility and luminosity of the medium grabbed my interest.

The traditional craft of enamelling is the art of fusing powdered vitreous glass onto metal at high temperatures. This can be done with metals such as silver, gold, copper and even steel, but each requires a slightly different approach as the metals react differently with the oxides and minerals in the different coloured enamels. The colours are vibrant and the process of fusing, whether in a kiln or by a gas torch is instantly gratifying although never 100% predictable!

The term enamelling can encompass several different technical processes from Cloisonné where thin metal wires are embedded to form cells which can be filled with different coloured enamels, to painting fine detailed images and portraits, sifting & stencilling, sgraffito, high-firing and also Plique-à-jour, where transparent enamels are built up in layers to fill holes in the metal, much like a stained glass window. Unlike cold enamels or resins, traditional vitreous enamelling requires the glass to be heated to temperatures between 760 and 900 degrees centigrade. The pieces can be removed from the kiln after only a couple of minutes and once cooled can be worked on again, and again, to build up thin layers of colour.

I found joining the Guild of Enamellers a huge bonus as the accumulated knowledge and history of the craft is all there to be drawn on with much mentoring and support from members with all levels of skill and experience. The ethos is to ensure that this Heritage Craft is not lost or forgotten but kept alive by passing on to skills to new people.

I was introduced to pewter, a soft, malleable sheet metal, by a fellow enamellist as a way of backing and finishing off enamelled pendants and pieces. Easily embossed and manipulated it can be beautiful on its own, but it compliments enamel & glass well, and I enjoy adorning boxes with the two to create magical treasure troves that can be both useful and lovely to look at.

My inspiration has always been the natural world, whether that be flora or fauna; I am drawn to the mystery and stillness of a quiet path in a wood, hidden treasures in rockpools and the awe-inspiring patterns and forms in nature like the ripples frozen in time of an icy puddle or the symmetry of a seed pod.