A R T I S T S T A T E M E N T I am fascinated with how light passes through our environment; sunlight through the trees in the forest, light behind the clouds in the sky, and light bouncing off the surface of the ocean or lake, or through the various large and small waterfalls of a stream or river. I feel a sense of awe when I experience these phenomena. I spent 8 weeks each summer from the age of 10-15 at a YMCA camp in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. The natural beauty that surrounded me each day left an impression that still resonates within. Now my family prefers the beach to the mountains. I love both! Enamel seems like a perfect media for me: I can capture the light through the layers, and the combination of art and science plays perfectly into the different parts of my experience. It's not just problem-solving; it's creativity and expression. It's my story, expressed in enamel, that I choose to share. I work to develop my skills, both technical and aesthetic, so that I can share my sense of "awe" with others as I use my enamel vocabulary to sing my enamel song to share my enamel vision. T E C H N I Q U E Ricky makes his cloisonné jewelry using the traditional approach: bend wires, paint enamel layers, grind the surface level; he takes a more contemporary approach to design and imagery. Colors are applied intuitively and freely. Pieces of silver and gold wire or foil are sandwiched between enamel layers to create textures and patterns of light. Ricky has developed various techniques, which help to make the colors have an incredible depth and brilliance. The colors seem to glow from within. Enamel lumps or powders are ground in a mortar and pestle to a fine consistency, and then painstakingly applied with a tiny paintbrush. Each enamel piece is fired between 10-15 times at 1,450 degrees Farenheiht. When the enamel surface reaches the top of the wire, Ricky grinds and finishes the surface so that it feels and looks like a polished gemstone. Next comes the fabrication of the jewelry setting. Using 22 karat and 18 karat gold, or sometimes silver, a bezel rim is made individually for each enamel. Finally, the enamel is placed into the setting and burnished tightly. The whole piece is buffed, and the jewelry piece is complete.