Please describe your work, and talk about your background and training:
I am a magna cum laude Smith College graduate where I studied Geology and Art. As a Geology student, I took courses in Chemistry and Physics as Geology is the application of these principles to the earth. My training in Enameling began with a 5 day workshop taught by James Frape. I immediately fell in love with it and continued my learning by reading every book on the subject I could find and by doing my own experimenting. Thus I am largely self taught. My science background was a great help in understanding the technical aspects of enameling as well as in proceeding with experimentation.
I produce enamels for sale and exhibition and have been doing so for over 50 years, making my living by doing so by attending craft shows, and more rarely by teaching enameling. The craft show schedule kept me from doing much teaching because both the shows and the workshops are held on weekends. Currently most of my work has been sold through the Enamelist Gallery at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria VA.
Tell us about your process and how you came to work this way and has your practice changed much over time? Do you experiment a lot or do you work within a specific set of parameters?
Almost all of my process is sifting enamels. I like to say that more enamel has passed through my sieves than almost anyone else now working. I have produced and still sell a line of jewelry as well as bowls, plates and wall pieces.
When not making work for sale, I do a lot of experimenting. My most famous example of experimental work was in using cat hair. I was honored with an award in the 2011 Enamelist Society International Juried Exhibition for having the audacity to enamel cat hair. More recently I have been experimenting with the eutectic process. I have also experimented with thin copper, both using it as a base and firing very thin pieces onto a pre-enameled surface.
Describe your teaching style.
My teaching style is to start by reviewing the basic sifting process to be sure people learn the best way to apply a coat of enamel. I explain the technical aspects of enameling as well because most people have never been taught anything about that aspect, and there is next to no information in any of the published books. When I teach I am always available to the students to answer their questions, help the with their work, and I strive to be attentive to their individual needs.
What most inspires you? Who are you favorite enameilsts?
Nature inspires me – always. I am an environmentalist and have been an active Board member of the PA Environmental Defense Foundation since it’s inception in the 1980’s. We have a lot of work to do here in making sure that fracking is done in a responsible manner. That interest led to a series of pieces using the eutectic reaction to make statements about the environment. The recent images form outer space taken by the Hubble telescope stimulate my imagination and I have done a few pieces inspired by them.
My favorite enamelists? Paul Hultberg leads the list. His work is amazing. Bill Helwig who was a long time close friend and one of the very few – less that a handful – of enamelists that I could talk to about the technical aspects. I still miss him.
What is your dream project?
I do not have a dream project, not really. I would say it is because of my age and the long years I have been working in enameling. Fulfilling dreams is just part of what I do because I can work in the Studio almost every day, and without my active imagination I would be barren, dead even.
Another aspect of my career has been a long commitment to working for the arts in general and enameling in particular. I have worked on the local level for the Harrisburg Craftsmen and the Harrisburg Arts Festival (designed the visual arts aspects for them and served as Chair in 1970); for the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen (several Board positions and Chair of their annual Fair in 1969). These experiences led to a a job with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and an association with them for 10 years both as an employee and member of their advisory committees). I was a founding member of the EG/NE. I was elected to the Board of the Enamelist Society and served as President from 1/2004 – 12/2016. I remain on the Board as Vice President. I am a pragmatic idealist who believes in making the world a better place.
Averill B. Shepps
Mechanicsburg, PA
www.enamelist.com
Averill Shepps has been working with enamel for over 55 years, making her living as an enamelist for most of that time. She has taught enameling for nearly that long. She has exhibited in more craft shows than she cares to think about, including many of the major shows in the Eastern U.S. In recent years she has exhibited and sold her work at the Enamelists Gallery in Alexandria, VA. An honors graduate of Smith College with a major in Geology, she is a self-taught enamelist who has a particular interest in experimental work. Her science background helps her to understand the often peculiar technical aspects of the medium.
Her work has been widely exhibited in International Juried Exhibitions sponsored by The Enamelist Society and in invitational exhibitions. In addition to the United States, she has exhibited in Canada, England and South Korea. Work is also featured in several books, including: “Little Dreams in Glass and Metal: Enameling in America 1920 to the Present,” Jazzur and Nelson; “Contemporary Enameling: Art & Techniques”, Bachrach; “The Art of Fine Enameling,” Cohen; “500 Enameled Objects.”
She has been President of the Enamelist Society for 12 years and is a recipient of the Society’s Woodrow W. Carpenter Award given to those who have worked to benefit the world of enameling.