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Join the Center for Enamel Art and KVO Industries in a day of fun and learning with and within the porcelain enamel industry. We will provide materials, tools, and expertise to help you get acquainted with this wonderful medium. You can spray stencil, silkscreen, sgraffito, use transfer materials such as decals, draw, and paint with the enamel. You will be able to fire pieces in the factory’s large kiln which has interior dimensions of 5′ x 8′.

If you have specific projects you would like to work on, this is a wonderful opportunity to work on those projects.
A technical advisor and member of KVO’s staff will be on hand to work with you and introduce you to KVO Industries where the Center’s Annex is located.

We are charging $135, a special reduced fee, for this inaugural play day only. Starting in April we will be listing our full play day schedules for the rest of the year. Participants will be able to take advantage of discounts for multiple play day registrations through out the year. Stay tuned for more play day information.

The fee excludes any custom work done by the factory including creating silkscreens and custom colors. Additional materials will be available for sale at bargain prices.

Space is limited to 12 participants per session.

All registrants will receive an email 2 days before the session describing how to prepare.

In categories Tagged with CEA Annex, enamel, enamel on steel, enameled steel, enameling, industrial enameling, KVO Industries, large scale enamel, large scale enameling, liquid enamel, porcelain enamel, public art

Sgraffito Play Day at the Annex

By Judy Stone

on January 18, 2020

with no comments

Registration is Now Full.

Please contact to be put on a waitlist for this event.

Sgraffito is a wonderful drawing technique using vitreous liquid enamel. All artists in all media are welcome to try it for a day. The use of liquid enamel to glaze steel in high heat can provide the potential for creating larger pieces that are virtually indestructible for outdoor installations and functional objects. The Center for Enamel Art Annex, situated within KVO Industries provides a great way to create within and with the enamel industry, using industrial equipment and supplies. This one day play day is the first in a series that Center for Enamel Art will be sponsoring to explore various rendering techniques in this medium with well-known ceramicist/metal artist, Todd Barrickclow, who is known for his black on white sgraffito clay work. No previous enameling or metalworking experience is necessary.

Participants will start off the day by spraying several small 5″ x 7″ white-coated steel tiles with a solid contrasting color. After working smaller there will be the option to work in larger formats and add overglaze color to sgraffitoed images.

Where:
The Center for Enamel Art Annex inside KVO Industries, an industrial enamel firm in Santa Rosa, CA.

When:
Saturday, January 18, 9 AM to 4 PM

Cost: $150 including all materials, additional materials will be available for sale.

Limit 10 participants
Deadline for registration is January 12th.

Todd Barrricklow was born in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California in June of 1969. He is the eldest son of two. His parents were marionette making school teachers and long time vendors at the renaissance fair. Encouraged in the arts from an early age, he attended a humanities magnet high school where he started working in ceramics and drawing. He continued his education at Sonoma State University where he graduated with distinction in 1992. He was an Artist in Residence in the Arts/Industry Program at the Kohler Company in Wisconsin in 1999. He shows regularly and works from his studio and home in Santa Rosa, where he works in Ceramics, Printmaking and Metal.

In categories Tagged with enamel, enamel on steel, enameled steel, enameling, industrial enameling, KVO Industries, large scale enameling, liquid enamel, porcelain enamel, public art, Todd Barricklow, workshops with no comments

Expanding Our Space, Expanding Our Reach. You Can Help!

By Center for Enamel Art

on May 30, 2018

As we announced just before New Year’s, we have been offered a wonderful opportunity: our own space for large-scale enameling in a new facility that KVO Industries has acquired in Santa Rosa, CA. This space, which we are calling the Annex, is the first dedicated artist-use large-scale enameling space in the U.S., and will be an incredible resource for the Center. We hope you will be a part of this new exciting new phase, and will help contribute to our efforts if you are able!

Enameled steel sign at KVO Industries. Together, we can make it happen!

Our plans for the Annex are ambitious. The space will provide a place to create large-scale enameled steel art, including public and private commissions. Artisans will be able to design and produce enameled steel products. The Annex will also be a place to explore new applications and techniques for enameling steel. We will be able to offer groundbreaking classes, host visiting artists and eventually, provide ongoing residency programs. Although KVO’s large (8′ x 5′) hanging belt furnace is particularly suited for two-dimensional work, the Center is encouraging all who are interested in working three-dimensionally in enameled steel to come to the factory to work.

We are delighted that the Annex will be inaugurated with a workshop from master enamelist, John Killmaster, from July 6th to July 9th. Killmaster, at age 83, has experienced a resurgence in his career. A younger audience, which has recently embraced the use of liquid enamels, is now flocking to his work and his teaching.

We will offer regularly scheduled, facilitated weekend workdays at the Annex. In addition, our plans include workshops, factory tours and workdays for schools, and three- to five-day residencies for those working on projects or commissions. To find out more about the 2018 KVO program schedule, please contact the Center.

We believe that a space like this, created in a close partnership with an artist-friendly industrial facility like KVO, is essential to the future of enameling. It will allow us to share the possibilities of industrial enameling with more artists, and to bring new techniques, and more and larger work, into public view.

As we work to bring our plans to life, we will share our progress with you here on our blog and on Facebook. Along the way, we will ask for your help as we develop our large-scale enameling program and related educational programming. Even though KVO has been extremely generous is making this space possible, there is a cost. Our monthly lease payment is small for what it includes, but our programming cannot pay for all of the expenses associated with the space.

Please consider a contribution towards these goals.

$50 can purchase tools and equipment.
$100 can fund scholarships for classes and workshops.
$250 can fund promotion for outreach to all artists
$500 or more can create a residency program for artists wanting to work inside an enamel factory.
If you would contribute to the space by naming it, please contact the Center for more information about naming rights.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW. It’s simple and easy, and makes a huge difference to our work!

As a member of the enameling community, you know how rare and valuable an opportunity this is. We are grateful for your involvement and support. Together, we can create an exciting future for enameling!

In categories Creativity, Events, Opportunities, Uncategorized, Workshops Tagged with artist residencies, enamel on steel, Funding, John Killmaster, KVO Industries, large scale enameling, large-scale commissions, Naming rights, painting on steel, printmaking on enameled steel, Programs, public art

Kat Cole Enamels Her Work at KVO Industries, Part 3

By Center for Enamel Art

on September 26, 2016

This is the eighth in a series of guest posts by the enamel artist Kat Cole. This post previously appeared on her blog.

kvo-3-1 The process of enameling at KVO was a bit of a fast – slow – slow pace. I would have windows of time that I would have my spray gun ready to hop into the spray booth and get a coat on during the workers’ breaks. Their workday would usually begin at 6am and go until 3pm. I got into the habit of getting there around 7am, enjoying the time just being in the space and listening to the guys chat. They were all helpful and knowledgeable about the various processes. Read More →