President’s Message

Kimberly Geiser
President, Enamel Guild North East

It has been a very interesting year, to say the least. We have all had to endure unprecedented time apart. Often, away from our studios and other comforts that we rely on. My hope is that this message finds you all in good health and that you have not suffered during this pandemic. On March16th, it became clear that Enamel Guild North East would not be able to hold our 28th annual conference as planned on May16th. Like many other organizations, we had a series of discussions early on to develop alternative programming. Those conversations are what brought us here, to Under Fire 3: An International Juried Enameling Exhibition.

The Board of Directors of Enamel Guild North East is very proud to present Under Fire 3. We had three jurors, all distinguished art professionals: Ruth Ball, Mi-Sook Hur, and Sienna Patti. Our jurors did a wonderful job reviewing more than 275 submitted pieces. At the end of the process, the jury presented us with 100 beautiful pieces representing a broad range of styles and techniques. A huge THANK YOU to all the artists who submitted their amazing work. We want to urge you all to continue to produce beautiful work and to share it with the greater community. Doing so will allow the art of enameling to continue to flourish. 

We must thank many people for making this exhibition possible: Judy Wukitsch, EGNE board member and Under Fire 3 Exhibition Chair who has been instrumental in all aspects of the planning and execution. Other Under Fire 3 committee members include: Christina Saj, Mew Chiu, and Nicholas Hesson. I want to thank them all for their exhaustive work and attention to detail over many months to bring this show to fruition.

It is our hope that this exhibition may serve many purposes: to share advances in enameling, to encourage artists to continue to create beautiful work, introduce new artists to the art of enameling, and as a historical record for the medium.

We urge you all to please continue to share everything. Share your work. Share other’s work. Share this exhibition. And, continue to promote the art of enameling.

Until we can meet again, be safe and be well.

Juror Awards

Juror Statements

Ruth Ball

It is a privilege to be involved in this event as a show of excellence, but also importantly I value being involved as an invited remember of your community.  A community with the fore site of a global outreach, at a time when reaching out and gathering is more important than ever. Thank You.

I was impressed by the diversity of submissions and a true sense of commitment to the practice of enamel. The work was lively and exciting making it very difficult to select pieces for the exhibition. The enamel’s displayed a spectrum of techniques and included a wide interpretation of themes. It was interesting to see a strong narrative in conceptual works which were definitive and overwhelmingly reflective of our turbulent times.

It is often the desire for contemporary work to reflect contemporary matters, to break from historical modalities and make statements on critical issues. In this aim, color today can seem less significant but ultimately more nuanced. The message of a work is carried instead by poignancy and technique. Heavy subjects such as loss, relationships, politics, sit equally alongside weighty worries for conservation, humanity and planet.

There is a lot to balance. Beauty it seems isn’t the protagonist any more. It appears that to want to enamel, can be more than the quest to acquire skill and excellence in this ancient discipline. It has become not just a way to elegantly adorn, although this is entirely significant and noteworthy. It however, can be seen as radical in its effects to give a voice from one to another, to communicate a message or a feeling, with eloquence, and of course, yes, with the lure of color. It appears that the manipulation of glass on metal continues to add new meaning beyond its material processes and enamel has captivated us again.

Mi-Sook Hur

The pandemic has actively impacted daily life, and social distancing has already become a part of our routine. Exhibitions and events have been canceled or postponed. As many artists have mentioned, creating art lifts their spirits up during these anxious times. The situation encourages them as well to share their works remotely on social media platforms, thus bringing people together in new ways, such as this online exhibition Under Fire 3.

I want to thank the Enamel Guild North East for inviting me as one of three jurors for the exhibition. The submissions showcased a rich variety of backgrounds, which used all sorts of traditional and innovative creative approaches. Because of the overall quality and broadness of submissions, the selection process was a difficult task. The first phase of the reviewing process was selecting works in the “must include in the show” category, and from there, it became a tough eliminating process. As a juror, I wanted to understand as much as I could about each submission, so I carefully reviewed the provided materials. I sought pieces that exhibited absolutely high quality, particularly for those that used vitreous enamel as a major component. At the same time, I also sought to be balanced in techniques, styles, mediums, and subject matter.

I want to thank all of the artists who submitted artwork for consideration. Congratulations to all of the award winners for their truly excellent works! I hope the audience enjoys the show as much as I enjoyed looking at the images.

Sienna Patti

Enameling as a technique demands a skill and patience that can sometimes be at odds with the desire many artists have to make expressive or evocative works.  Over time I have noticed that often appreciation will begin and end with technique. The detail traditionally inherent in enamel require us to closely examine the object in order to “see” it. Because the answer to “How is this made?” is interesting, it can become the first and only question. And since enameling is a well-known technique, we don’t just require it to be done well, we also want it to look, and actually be, difficult to do, and we place a hierarchical value on that difficulty.

I like to see a clear artistic intention in the works and the focus and value placed on technique can sometimes be limiting.  I think of technique as a means to an end and was pleased to see multiple works in this open call that reflected a strong conceptual approach. With the final and winning pieces this question of technique was barely discussed. The works managed to bypass that question by being obviously skillfully enough done that the content and concept became the conversation and the works that rose to the top were those that used enamel as a technique in service of the concept and intention of the artist. These pieces felt fresh and smart and respectful of the history of the medium. The works are expressive and evocative, and the technique and material of enamel served an integral part in supporting the concept of the work.

Gallery

Please note: Gallery images are organized by artist. Each artist has an individual page offering additional information, links and sometimes, other entries included in the exhibition. Larger views can be seen by clicking on images on the artist’s individual pages. double click to  get a bigger view.