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From 'Precious Detail' Exhibition Catalogue 1997
'Cloisonne enamelling appeals to my sense of scale, my
love of expressive line and my interest in fine detail. I am a miniaturist.
I believe that small is beautiful and that details are important. Ecologically
the story is in the details - evolution and adaptation, balance and interdependence
of relationships between all species and lifeforms on our planet.
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Miniature,
'Plunder of the Oceans' series, cloisonne enamel on fine silver, 60mm x
60mm |
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It is in the small details that we are now able to sense the ecological problems
facing us all. Small changes are the first warnings - the disappearance and
extinction of many species, the vanishing seed bank, the algae blooms on our
waterways. Many of my cloisonne panels are commentary on environmental issues,
and some are sequences of images dealing with overdevelopment of the coastal
area where I live in northern NSW.
Vested interests want the kinds of opportunities that come with massive development,
while most locals want to preserve the character and natural beauty of the
area. Meanwhile coastal habitat is disappearing, and ugly structures cover
beachfronts. Much of the Australian coastline is under pressure from inappropriate
development. I use symbols in the work to express some of these ideas.
Water and vessels often appear. Water is a symbol for cleansing and renewal,
as in the Christian story of The Ark - the washing clean of the earth and
the saving of species. It is a symbol of hope and the future. Most of the
Australian population lives along the coastal strip, and consider it a birthright
to have access to the ocean. But this inherent need is creating many problems.
Wetlands are still being drained, and the habitat of species essential to
marine life cycles is being threatened. It is one of the great dilemmas of
this country.
The + is also a symbol. It can signify loss or death, but can also speak of
my own attitudes. It says no, enough.
In many panels I use a fine line linking the top of the panel with the bottom
- the sky to the earth. It is also a symbol of hope that they can be connected,
and the line can link details of our daily lives with the larger picture.
The line is a conduit for input also - a two way communication. The symbols
are a metaphysical representation of my political opinions. Sometimes however,
I just use line for the sheer pleasure and fun of it - a calligraphic expression
of being alive. I am also interested in the issue of seed and plant diversity.
I very much admire the work done by the locally based organisation Seed Savers,
though I am not involved with them. We are losing genetic diversity in our
food crops - traditional vegetables and fruit varieties are currently being
lost at an unprecedented rate which is putting world food production at great
risk. The future of the human race depends on the survival of genetic food
sources. Some of the panels are commentary on this important issue. It goes
back to my initial premise for this work - that details are important. Seeds
seem such a small matter, but from them comes all food.
I have been an organic gardener for more than 25 years and can't imagine my
life without access to a garden. It is a source of so much pleasure and gives
so much more than it receives. Gardening has much in common with enamelling.
Both require careful preparation and endless patience. Both teach humility,
as neither will allow absolute control. I once read that the ability to be
a good observer is essential to being a good gardener. I think that is true
too of enamelling. To be really able to see, to be sensitive to the small
details is essential to success with the medium.
Cloisonne enamelling is an exacting art, requiring not only patient manipulation
of tiny strips of silver wire and grains of glass, but also a great deal of
technical knowledge and experience. I have chosen to work within the boundaries
of this traditional technique and find inspiration in the inherent characteristics
and limitations of the medium, turning it to a means of communication for
ideas about contemporary issues. It is a great pleasure to involve both mind
and skill to manifest an idea into tangible form.
I am a compulsive drawer, I draw every day, on scraps of paper, all over my
daybook, when I'm on the phone. It's a habit, but sometimes ideas form from
these loose pencil ramblings, and become the basis for cloisonne panels or
jewellery. In transforming the drawings from pencil to silver strip, I try
to retain some of the energy and spontaneity of the initial marks. It is rather
an impossible aim however, given the precise nature of the cloisonne technique.
I am a keen eyed gatherer of bits and pieces from my environment. Details
from the larger picture. Leaves, dead flowers, a fraying length of rope, rusting
scraps of metal - all go onto my studio wall to join postcards, drawings and
enamel sample colours already there. This detritus can exert subtle influences
on line - the curve of a stamen, the edge of a chewed leaf, the random bumps
on a twig. So, I suppose there are many random influences on my work, though
I would rather not analyse the creative process - preferring to just let it
be. Before beginning a panel, I prepare elements from the drawings into a
precise line design which is used as a guide when shaping the cloisonne wires.
I enjoy the process of enamelling - the careful design process, the painstaking
manipulation and placement of the wires, and the knowledge of the variables
of firing characteristics of the various enamels and metal alloys, all of
which can affect the colour and quality of the finished work. There is no
sure thing with firing enamel onto metal, but to some extent it is the unpredictability
that, though at times frustrating, keeps me so intrigued with this medium.'
Carolyn Delzoppo
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