January 2021: Pink Flower Implosion Marble
Posted by Carol Ann Savage on
Enamel (also known as crushed glass) has a long and very interesting history. When you start to think about enamel and it’s applications, it may conjure up visions of the heavy pots on your stove or possibly the old piece of jewelry in your mother’s collection. The fact that it can be applied to gold, silver, copper, aluminum, stainless steel and cast iron makes it incredibly versatile. It becomes an even more attractive medium when one takes into account it’s many other special qualities; it has long lasting color, it is smooth, hard, and scratch resistant and does not burn. These amazing properties mean you will find it on or in everything from the drum of your washing machine to the stop sign on your street. Even a good chalk board has enamel!
The Thompson company has developed a line of enamels that are compatible with the 104 coe (co efficient of expansion) glass that I use; rich, warm colors that allow for gentle shadings and clean layering of pigments. The application of this fine dust gives one many more options than just a solid rod of glass.
These little flower implosions are always interesting to experiment with— almost the opposite of last month’s controlled dot and line implosion— a joyful randomness!