Cathy Timbrell

I began work as a research scientist but I have been making jewellery for over 30 years and since 2008 I have been able to devote much of my time to jewellery making and enamelling from my own workshop/studio in Buckinghamshire. I have been tutored by experts in the art of enamelling including Pat Johnson, Joan Mackrell and Jessica Turrell. I am also a founder member of the Buckinghamshire Craft Guild formed in 2017.

My 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 I enamel are designed by me and spun by Warren Martin in Sheffield. The results are unpredictable and magical, but very difficult to reproduce! I use 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. I use bold colours similar to my enamelled jewellery pieces often resulting in a Japanese or Art Deco feel.