Video HERE

The origins of this delightful work go back twenty years! Here’s our interview with Lola Brooks’s spring concentration metals studio assistant Laura Fortune about how she found her way back to work that she always loved but was once discouraged:

 

We love this work! What is the origin of this series?

Lola Brooks was my enamel teacher in college twenty years ago. My very first cloisonné piece was a lawn ornament necklace. Lola encouraged me but she was an adjunct professor and the other professors were like, “This is not flying. You shouldn’t do this in enamel,” and I lost confidence to pursue my style in vitreous enamel.

 

What do you think didn’t resonate with your professors at the time?

I think it was the style and use of vitreous enamel as the medium. There are people that do more cartoon work in enamel now, but twenty years ago it was kind of like, “no cartoons, no pop art.” So I didn’t pursue it for a long time.

 

How did you find your way back?

A few years ago I leaned into what had made me happy to make with cloisonné. I mainly focused on jewelry, and at the end of last year, I started creating objects with cloisonné.

This spring at Penland, I was back with Lola in a full-circle way, and returned to lawn ornaments, leaning into what I truly enjoy making. I love fabricating and the color that enamel brings to the work. It’s fun and it’s special.

This class…. This is stuff I’ve never done. There was a lot of troubleshooting, a lot of learning. It’s a brand new process for me, to create 3D enamel pieces, so it was really freaking awesome to be back with Lola making this work.

 

Can you explain the cloisonné process a bit?

Cloisonné involves taking fine silver wire, shaping it to create walls, packing it with enamel powder and then firing it in a kiln. You build layers up to these fine silver walls and then you grind it down. It’s like drawing with wire and then adding the color which is enamel, resulting in this incredible glass surface of saturated colors.

Why a lawn chair?

I made a lawn chair necklace a couple of years ago at a residency. I was making cloisonné checkered earrings at the time, and the lawn chair was a chance to return to my illustrations while practicing lattice patterns.

I created the cloisonné lawn chair necklace right after Covid distancing, and it felt like a symbol of gathering; at your grandparent’s house with a barbecue or at the beach. It’s a funny, iconic chair that everyone can relate to and holds memories.

Figuring out how to make a foldable chair was an interesting process. I could do more lawn chairs… It would be fun to have a set in different colors!

These are lawn ornaments?

Yes! I’m originally from the south; from Tallahassee, Florida, and my mom has a garden with a bunch of stuff in it. The grill and the chair are just the beginning. I also began making a kiddie pool and want to keep going. Next I may make an Igloo cooler…

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We can’t wait to see what’s next! You can discover more of Laura’s creations HERE.

Want to experience working with metals at Penland? Check out our upcoming workshops HERE.