Cathy Timbrell

We are delighted to be showcasing the beautiful enamelled work by Cathy Timbrell for the very first time this summer. Her most recent work is enamelling copper using high fired vitreous enamel on copper bowls and large pieces of jewellery, where the designs are built up through several firings in a kiln. The bowls that she enamel’s are designed by Cathy and spun by Warren Martin in Sheffield. The results are unpredictable and magical, but very difficult to reproduce! She use’s techniques “borrowed” from ceramicists such as sgraffito and naked raku which give interesting results. The enamel is sifted onto the copper and fired at around 950oC in a small kiln for 2-3 minutes each time. Some bowls will have 10-12 firings building up the enamels and allowing them to interact with each other and the copper beneath. Many of the turquoise colours are the result of white enamel reacting with the copper or black copper oxide which is produced when copper is heated to a high temperature. She use’s bold colours similar to her enamelled jewellery pieces often resulting in a Japanese or Art Deco feel.