The Art of Enamel -- A Renaissance in the Making

Eagle artist makes ancient art thoroughly modern

What could third-century B.C. Celts possibly have in common with local artist Delia?  The Celts, who brandished brilliantly enameled copper shields and swords, favored these fused glass and metal tools over other jewel-encrusted options.  And Delia, an Eagle-based, full-time working abstract artist and enamellist, has applied her creativity and ingenuity to this ancient art of fusing glass to metal and made it uniquely modern.  Her work is intensely beautiful and evocative, whether in the form of wall artwork, sculpture, or large outside public art.   Passionately committed to and enamored with enameling, Delia has nothing short of an enamel Renaissance in mind.

Enamel—as a means of artistic expression—is virtually limitless.   And that is perhaps one of the reasons Delia finds it irresistible.  The enameling creation process is all about layers, and the progressive transformation of glass and metal over time.   It’s a time-consuming and meticulous art, requiring as many as 30 dusting-and-firing executions—moving large pieces of metal in and out of a 1,200-1,500-degree kiln and allowing them to cool.  An enamel artist does not get a lot of rest.   And given that Delia  enjoys working with pieces of metal that are bigger than she is—limited only by how much metal she can actually move with precision and care and the size of her kiln—her work is as physically demanding as it is mentally exhilarating.

It seems appropriate that Delia, who embraces serendipity in her artwork—yielding to the idiosyncrasies of the kiln and the how it, and the enamel and metal elements, respond to each other—discovered the ancient art of enameling… well… serendipitously.  Before and during her years as a graduate student at Boise State University, where she earned her Master’s in Art Education, Delia worked with many different artistic mediums—from welding and woodcarving to pottery and three-dimensional sculpture.  But it was the work of internationally-known master enamellist John Killmaster that instantaneously captivated her.  “While working in a class with John, I noticed him working privately on a piece.  He was fusing brilliantly colored glass with metal, and the results were nothing short of stunning,” Delia says.  “I had simply never seen anything like it before. And by the time I completed my first piece as part of my degree program, I knew I had found my artistic passion.”
 
Delia loves the freedom of abstract art, which is unfettered by technique or color.  She uses color boldly to express her unique artistic vision, inspired by Kandinsky and Picasso, as well as her own emotion and life experiences.  Whether creating smaller and immensely approachable pieces, suited to small home or office spaces, or bigger-than-life public art commissioned for outdoor venues, Delia is continually energized by the possibilities of applying her modern, open sensibility to an ancient form.  “Delia’s work is exciting,” says Eagle’s Galerie Belle Ame owner Melissa Brodt.   “It is organic and cutting-edge contemporary at the same time, and as one of our permanent anchor artists, we’re fervently anticipating what will come next, now that Delia is able to pursue her art full time.”     
 
Some artists start with a vision and drive toward that vision with singular purpose, meticulously planning each step, much as a chess player.  Enamellists are no exception, and when working with more rigid metal, such as steel, planning is crucial to outcome.  Even though Delia works with steel as well as copper, and although she always works with intent, she celebrates the wholly unexpected.  If pieces don’t turn out exactly as she intended—the kiln is forever brewing anomalies due to under- or over-firing—she welcomes the unexpected.    One of her most popular pieces, “Fireflight,” is a perfect example.  Delia’s intent was to capture the essence of “giving one wings.”  What most viewers immediately apprehend in the piece is the distinctive shape of a dragonfly, which emerged, without beckoning.  
 
Today’s enamel artists do not typically produce massive quantities of work, due to the amount of time needed to produce just one piece.  This also makes it difficult to earn a living.  As painstakingly meticulous as enameling might be, Delia works swiftly, and efficiently, partly due to a self-professed impatience and partly due to her respect for energy resources.  She conscientiously makes the most of each one- to three-minute firing of the kiln to around 1,500 degrees.  

As vice president of Boise Open Studios Collective Organization (BOSCO), a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to the visual arts, Delia actively promotes and fosters understanding of the visual arts.  She is driven by the desire to bring enameling to the masses.  Her goal of igniting an enameling Renaissance includes teaching enamel to the public and starting an enamel guild in Idaho.