More Painted Enamel

Today I was able to keep a better watch over my painted enamel pieces when they were in the kiln with UV googles that aren't as dark as mine.  So, each of them turned out wonderfully.  Each of these was done on a coloured layered instead of the a white background, like the ones in yesterday's post.  Now comes the tricky part - fabricating something to set these babies into.  I am unsure of what to make them into - pendant? ring? brooch? Help me decide! 

I have been going into each little guy without really thinking about what I want to paint beforehand.  I think if I end up painting more I will continue with my tattoo theme and throw in some medieval inspiration as well as looking back to some poetry that I love.  And lots more skulls of course.  Suggestions for ideas are welcome!

This is all eventually leading to some grander scale pieces that I have in mind.  I definitely wanted to get the knack of using my acrylic enamels before jumping in too deep & so far, so good.

Painting with Enamel

Lately I have been extremely creatively scattered.  I have been burning myself out by making things at home - stenciling some handmade pillows, cutting linoleum prints, and doing some painting.  Also, attempting to organize things to avoid working.  I spent way too many hours online scouring for a new duvet cover.  Go ahead and judge me.  However, since I painted my bedroom I have been in need of something that matches the new colour (insert rampant consumer jab here).  In between my online journeying i whipped up some enamel paintings.  I should also let everyone in on the fact that I was watching Battlestar Galactica while doing so.  The skull was a connection to my ongoing obsession with the Dias de los Muertos.  I have been contemplating getting more tattoos lately, hence the tattoo designs.  I'm sure my mom appreciates them being painted on jewellery rather than on me.  My years of drawing henna tattoos have been put to use once again!  The one thing I found out about enamel that I hadn't known before is that red and white enamel repel... if you are lucky you can catch it before it happens (which is why you are seeing this batch of pieces and not the last ones I made - now lost to the light of day and never to be seen again).  Enamel is not always predictable and or reliable.  I left the bird piece in the kiln a tad too long, and it developed a speckly quality that I had not initially intended.

  I think I made the frame and components a bit more complicated than they need to be, I will be messing around with an alternative.  I painted each little vignette on white enamel, so my next batch of them are on coloured backgrounds.  Hopefully those work out and are worthy of a post.