From jewelry to vessels to installations, the five hundred works in this fully illustrated collection reflect enamel's expressive potential in a variety of forms and applications. Juror Sarah Perkins one of the world's leading enamelists--has included works that exhibit great technical virtuosity as well as pieces that are conceptually daring (many of the objects exhibit both qualities). The technique applications are just as broad, from simple sifting and torch firing to complex cloisonne and plique-a-jour. Take a remarkable look at how vibrant the enamel field is today.

Enameling is the art of fusing glass and metal to create imaginative designs that catch the eye with their brilliance and tactile appeal.This iurored survey, unique for its scope and comprehensiveness, presents the contemporary work of three hundred international artists who are dually gifted as metalsmiths and as enamelists. It presents a wide variety of approaches to enamel that demonstrates the current strength and breadth of the field.

Much of the work featured in the book falls into the category of personal adornment or jewelry, from those in the traditional wearable sense to gallery pieces. Leslie Laine Lewis's From Duckling to Swan allows the wearer to superficially take on the beauty of a graceful bird. It's adorned with two pierced swans floating among water lilies and is composed of hundreds of enameled feathers. The traditional jewel form is sometimes exploited by artists with a subversive intent, such as the poignant Endangered Species Carousel bracelet by Kim Eric Lilot. Other works include art installations,such as Party On. The concept for this piece, created by Kate Ward Terry, is thrown confetti cascading downward. Still other objects are functional as well expressive. Mana Kehr's Egg Cups and Napkin Rings conjures up time spent with family and familiar rituals.

Juror Sarah Perkins received her MFA from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1992 and is currently Professor of Art and Head of the Metals Area at Southwest Missouri State University,Springfield, Missouri. She has shown her work extensively both nationally and internationally in invitational and competitive group exhibitions and in one-person shows. Her work has been published in respected magazines,including Metalsmith, "Ornament,American Craft, and in many books on enameling and metalsmithing. Her work is also included in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York;National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis, Tennessee; and L6ng Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California. She has taught numerous workshops in the United States, including Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina; Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee; San Diego State University, San Diego, California; and California College of the Arts, San Francisco, California; as well as Tainan National University of the Arts, Tainan, Taiwan; and the University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom.

Introduction by Sarah Perkins

The Objects

Contributing Artists

Acknowledgments

About the Juror