Grains of Glass

ABOUT THIS BOOK, For much of today's public, the ancient art of enameling is not well known, although the technique of fusing grains of colored glass to metal dates to the 13th century B.C. Yet enameling is a small player in the very large world of art. Enameling techniques vary from artist to artist, depending on what they enjoy the most: Cloisonné, Champlevé, Plique-à-jour, Painting, Saw and Solder, Basse taille, Sifting, Grisaille, Limoges, Sgraffito, Fauré, Impasto, Shotai jippo, Camaieu, Raku. Some artists employ several into one art piece. Throughout these pages you will see creativity explode using these techniques. When I was first introduced to enameling many years ago, only a few classes existed through art schools and local guilds. There wasn't much information on enameling techniques in other parts of the world, and some of my global members were self-taught due to the lack of educational materials. I had an idea to create an international web site where East and West would meet, from every country, small town, city, and island. There were artists going about their work every day, everywhere. I wanted to meet them, and I did. That website became known as "Grains of Glass" and became the first of its kind. After 15 years and 3,000 members later passing through, it was time for a book. I like to think of it as "The GoG family album". "Follow your bliss, and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls." ----Joseph Campbell

ABOUT THIS BOOK, For much of today's public, the ancient art of enameling is not well known, although the technique of fusing grains of colored glass to metal dates to the 13th century B.C. Yet enameling is a small player in the very large world of art. Enameling techniques vary from artist to artist, depending on what they enjoy the most: Cloisonné, Champlevé, Plique-à-jour, Painting, Saw and Solder, Basse taille, Sifting, Grisaille, Limoges, Sgraffito, Fauré, Impasto, Shotai jippo, Camaieu, Raku. Some artists employ several into one art piece. Throughout these pages you will see creativity explode using these techniques. When I was first introduced to enameling many years ago, only a few classes existed through art schools and local guilds. There wasn't much information on enameling techniques in other parts of the world, and some of my global members were self-taught due to the lack of educational materials. I had an idea to create an international web site where East and West would meet, from every country, small town, city, and island. There were artists going about their work every day, everywhere. I wanted to meet them, and I did. That website became known as "Grains of Glass" and became the first of its kind. After 15 years and 3,000 members later passing through, it was time for a book. I like to think of it as "The GoG family album". "Follow your bliss, and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls." ----Joseph Campbell

Trish White is an enamel and jewelry artist residing in Connecticut, USA. She began her professional life designing bridal headpieces for future brides, and her designs were featured in three major bridal publications . Along the way, she was introduced to metalsmithing by a friend and over the years pursued her interest through jewelry schools and workshops. It was here that Trish learned the art of enameling and its various techniques. Inspired by the lack of public knowledge on the subject, she created an international website, "Grains of Glass" to bring together enamel students, instructors, and professional artists to share their knowledge and friendship all under one roof. Through this vast network of members, Trish has traveled across the globe connecting with members and creating a lifetime of friends.