INTERview | Amy Roper Lyons

INTERview | Amy Roper Lyons

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Amy at North Dock 2013 v3Describe your work.

For years I have worked mostly in jewelry scale, using the techniques of cloisonné and basse-taille combined with goldsmithing, reflecting imagery inspired by nature.  A few years ago, responding to an impulse to work larger, I began a series of vessels. This body of work is an exploration of the intersection of color, form and light.  The vessels are made using the plique a jour enameling technique. First, a sterling silver framework is constructed, and then enamel is suspended in the openings, allowing the light to pass through the glass so the vessels glows.

 What is your background and training?

I received her BFA in Metals from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA. After I graduated, I spent time backpacking through Europe and the Middle East. Eventually I settled down and worked for a silversmith in Jerusalem who made Jewish ceremonial silver. When I returned to the US, I started my own studio in 1986 and have been making and selling my work since.

What are  you working on in your studio now?

Jigger Set copy

Tell us about your process and how you came to work this way and has your practice changed much over time?

I must have a restless nature, because my work seems to change every five years or so.  I love learning new techniques, and incorporating them into my work to more fully realize my designs as they appear in my mind’s eye. The biggest change was in the mid 1990’s, when I began enameling after years of working in metal. The addition of color to my work was a revelation to me. I always start a new series by making lots of drawings. Then as I begin to work in the silver, gold and enamel, I am very open to changes in the design that may occur in the process of making the piece.

Do you experiment a lot or do you work within a specific set of parameters?

I like to break rules, to test them out.  I find that lots of rules we are taught in enameling and metalsmithing are old wives tales or simplifications. Here’s an example: I was taught years ago to fire enamels with the kiln temperature set at 1500 degrees F. If left in the kiln a little too long, the enamel could easily overfire. Over time, I experimented with different temperatures, and settled on 1400 degrees F as ideal for cloisonne and 1450 degrees F for plique. (Later I realized that the 1500 degree temperature was probably meant for enameling on copper.)

Describe your teaching style.

I love teaching, because it is such a pleasure to be with people who are also passionate about enamels and about making things.  My classes are very much a give and take: I explain the steps involved and demonstrate the techniques, but I also encourage questions and thoughts from students.

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What most inspires you?

I find inspiration everywhere! My garden, animals, art and architecture from so many periods in history, all kinds of materials and textures that I come across in the course of my day. I collect all sorts of things: seeds, bugs, sticks, pebbles, shells…

What is your dream project?

The series of plique vessels I have been working on the last three years is my dream project. I love playing with the geometry and patterning as I build the frameworks, I love the contemplative nature of filling the many openings with enamel. Most of all I like the excitement of the final few firings as I see the piece coming together and conquer the challenge of getting all openings to fill completely!

Tell us about the workshop you will be offering at the EGNE conference.

Before I tried the technique, I had the impression that plique a jour was very difficult. My experience is the opposite! The workshop will show my simple step by step method for making the wire framework, filling it with enamel, and firing without a backing for perfect results. Students will complete a small pendant or earrings over the course of the workshop.

Amy Roper Lyons is a studio jeweler and enamelist. Her work expresses her love for the wonderful variety of form and color found in the natural world. Inspired by her garden, and long walks along the seashore near her home, she creates one-of-a-kind and limited edition pieces in high-karat gold, enamels, and gemstones.

Using a combination of enamel processes, including cloisonné, champlevé, and basse-taille, Lyons creates bold compositions of gold and glass. The metalwork draws from a broad palette of techniques, including fusing, forming, fold-forming, carving, chasing, piercing, and fabricating.

Her award-winning work has been published in magazines and books such as 500 Enameled Objects, Lapidary Journal, Ornament, and Art Jewelry Magazine. Lyons’s jewelry is exhibited nationally at museums, galleries and craft shows, recently at the Smithsonian Craft Show. Lyons has taught jewelry and enameling at the New Jersey Center for the Visual Arts, the Newark Museum, and teaches workshops at locations nationally. She received her BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA.