Bullfinch & Barbury ~ Handmade Enameled Goods

Things might seem a bit quiet around here . . .

Please check out Bullfinch & Barbury's new blog!!!: http://bullfinchbarbury.wordpress.com


Thank you so much for reading!!!

My friend Sunny has coordinated a Holiday Fair again this year at her home in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. The emphasis is on hand-made wares and organic edibles for people and pets . . . don't forget pets! Things are still in the organization process, but I plan to be there from 8 AM to 2 PM with all sorts of lovely enameled jewels to try on and check out.



My two planning objectives for the day:

• Somehow find a way to keep some hot tea on hand all day long


• Buy a reliable CD/MP3 player and play Edith Paif and Django Reinhardt (and later use it in my studio, so it needs to be one die hard CD player to withstand all of the enamel dust and metal grindings!)

Come and see me :

October 9th 2010 - 8 AM to 2 PM

375 Byers Rd

Chester Springs, PA 19425

POTENTIAL SELLERS: Please contact me if you would like to join us! It's $25 per table/vendor.

I'm very excited about these bangles! Vincent Van Gogh has long been one of my favourite painters and I think that his style translates well into enamel. The saturated tones of his work and the extraordinary use of contrasting color and shape draws an immediate response from the viewer. There is an emotional content in Van Gogh's work that resounds far beyond the subject matter. Who else could make a Cafe seem so charged with tension - or a night sky appear so hopeful and caressing and tranquil?














Van Gogh was actually considered a failure in his lifetime, and suffered from extreme anxiety and mental illness. He was very close with his brother, Theo, and though his letters, much insight into Vincent's life was preserved. Vincent once explained that painting eased his anxiety and relieved his depression - and from looking at his later paintings, it is clear that Vincent was optimistic and concentrating on a healthy outlook. Many of his paintings from this time incorporated swirls - like the clouds in Starry Night.




It was only after his death that Van Gogh's work became recognized as a foundation for modern art. His peers later described his work as "genius", and when you peruse the list of most expensive paintings ever sold, Van Gogh's "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" is in the top five.





















The Starry Night bangles were made using watercolor enamels and crayon enamels. Both of these are applied like a person would use any other watercolor or pencil, but are fired into the surface just like a powdered enamel. The addition of rutilated quartz cabochons by stone cutter Greg Genovese, brings out the golden, glimmering effect of the 24 Karat gold foil stars.



The next set in the works is Monet's Waterlilies . . . Do you have a favourite Impressionist that you would like to see in bangle-form? Please leave a comment with your suggestions!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Bullfinch & Barbury Holiday Giveaway! I have the names of two winners, provided by RANDOM.org's true random number generator.

The winner of the Bit of Merry Giveaway is: Melissa Moore

Melissa was number 81 out of 95 entries - she is getting a set of Wexford enameled bangles and a Cranberry Spice Enamel and Pearl Necklace!

The winner of the Holiday Cache Giveaway is: Jamie Waggoner

Jaime was number 6 out of 29 entries - she is getting the Somerset enameled bangle set and a Somerset Damask Enameled Necklace!

Thank you again to everyone who entered!

Happy Holidays!

This lovely hand-colored swan print from the 1850's caught my eye while browing through Etsy the other day - and suddenly inspired a whole winter scene of elegant clothing, chilly hues and ruffled finery.