ENAMELIST.COM : Enamels by Averill B. Shepps

	Bowl with Bulbs see more works in the Gallery

Welcome to enamelist.com, featuring the work of Averill B. Shepps, an artist working in enamels. Here you may learn more about the artist and come to a better understanding of the difficult medium by which glass and metal are bonded. Here you may view the artist's work in the Gallery, check on her background, see a demonstration and explanation of how enamels are made, and view work by others working in the medium.

Enameling can be defined as the firing of glass onto metal, a process that has been known for centuries. Enamels have had practical applications, such as in the manufacture of cookware and stoves, but enamels have also been used to create decorative objects. People have always been attracted to transparent enamels which look very much like jewels when properly done.

Contemporary enamelists are few in number, because the medium is demanding and unforgiving. However, when done well, the results can be wonderful. The rich color of transparent enamels fired over polished metal is wondrous and fascinating. As the observer turns a piece in the light, different colors appear more prominent; the design changes and comes alive. One can literally get lost in viewing a fine enamel, turning it in the light and enjoying its depth, observing the changes in hue and pattern. Everything depends on the reflection of light, on light being directed into the piece to the metal background, and then being reflected back through the various layers of color that have been fired onto the metal.

Bowl with Grasses 2007
6 ¾" diameter x 4" high

Averill's vessel, Bowl With Grasses, was accepted into FUSION, the 11th Biennial International Juried Exhibiton of the Enamelist Society.
Accepted works were on display at the Cultural Arts Center in Columbus, Ohio, August 19th - September 30th, 2007.

Two pieces of Averill's work are in the Enamel Guild/Northeast exhibition at the Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA, March 15 - June 1.

Averill will be teaching workshops at the John C. Campbell Folk School. May 30 - June 1, enameling on copper and silver foil. June 1 - 7, enameling plates and bowls using sifted techniques.

Averill's enamels and a write-up of one of her techniques, with step-by-step photos, are featured in The Art of Fine Enameling, by Karen L. Cohen. Published by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 2002, the book contains 21 projects as well as 170 photos of finished enamels.

Photographs of her work and a write-up of another of her techniques are featured in Contemporary Enameling: Art and Techniques by Lilyan Bachrach. Published by Schiffer Publishing Co., 2006.

Regular exhibit of Averill B. Shepps' work:

Enamelists Gallery at the Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, Virginia.