Feature: Orange Peel Enamel

I'm not entirely sure how I found out about Etsy to begin with. When I moved out to Seattle in 2004 I tried to make a point of finding out what some of the major local craft shows were and went. I have a tendency to pick up cards rather than purchase impulsively. I may have mentioned in the past I'm an incredibly indecisive buyer, I often regret not purchasing something really cool because of this. Anyway, I remember that I started seeing links to etsy on the cards I picked up (etsy is fantastic for people like me, I don't know how I functioned before it) around the same time I found out about Orange Peel Enamel.

Back in Columbus, OH I spent about a year taking weekly classes with a friend at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center on Enameling. From the shop name alone I was hooked, Orange Peel is a description of the appearance of the enamel at a certain stage in firing. I was also really impressed by the accuracy of her work. Eames Chairs, leaves, Wallpaper patterns all with very crisp edges, something I hadn't quite learned how to achieve and perhaps hadn't even thought to try yet. And her worked match my aesthetic sensibilities incredibly well. (Architects love eames chairs, in fact I had a whole project designed around one in school.)

Anyway, for some reason I didn't buy a necklace right away, part of my weird problem. (sometimes I get a little overwhelmed and like everything and can't make up my mind!) But that's why I have my boyfriend. For my birthday or Valentine's day, not sure which, he picked out not one but two necklaces from Orange Peel Enamel. They are pictured above, and they are fantastic. I really love the way the metal warms up with the temperature of your body. One of these days I'll go back to enameling, in the meantime I enjoy wearing the necklaces from Orange Peel to remind myself of the potential of the medium.