Cheetah by Richard Schafermeyer

Jewelry

Enamel and gold leaf

Gold sgraffito

2.5 inches diameter

I came to enameling via scratchboard. I was the director for the International Society of Scratchboard Artists International Exhibition in 2018 held at the Middletown Arts Center in Ohio. While preparing for the show, I saw a display of enameled bowls and discovered they offered enameling classes. After the exhibition was over, I took my first lessons and was hooked. Subsequent classes with Tom Ellis cemented my love for the medium. I am currently the President of the Ohio Valley Enameling Guild and Treasurer of the non-profit Carpenter Enamel Center.
At the 2022 Enamelist Conference I saw a demonstration of gold sgraffito by Keith Lewis. I was instantly enamored with this technique as it joined my two art forms into one. Scratching off gold on enamel is different than scratching ink off of clay, so I had to experiment with various tools to teach myself how to create greater depth and detail similar to what I can accomplish with scratchboard.