Poems in Silver and Glass

The University of Arizona Poetry Center is one of my favorite places: a huge poetry library, with open stacks, where visitors are invited to browse and read. Inspired by this place dedicated to sharing this quiet art form, I created a project where visual art could live among the books.

Shelved in the stacks, dozens of cloisonné elements set into book-sized wood panels wait to be discovered by library patrons. The warm wood and cool enamel feel smooth in your hands. Each piece features a different abstract design, with tiny detail and color variations that reward close examination. My aim was to create a purely visual and sensual analog to the experience of reading a poem—to give the language part of the visitor’s mind a rest, and present them with a poetic experience in color, form, line, and texture.

The University of Arizona Poetry Center

Installed in 2021

Vitreous Enamel Cloisonné on copper with silver, inset into walnut, poplar, maple, cherry, mahogany, and beech panels. 7.5” x 5.5” x .75” each.

Video about the project
Article about the project

The Poems

How Cloisonné is Made

Finely ground colored glass is sifted onto sheets of copper.

The glass is melted onto the copper in a small kiln at 1450°F.

Sometimes silver foil, silver dust, or small cut pieces of silver are added to the enamel base layer.

Thin silver wire is formed into shapes using pliers and tweezers, and glued onto the glass.

The piece is returned to the kiln, where the glue is burned off, and the melted glass traps the wires.

Thin layers of a mix of ground glass and water are placed on the panel using tiny spatulas and brushes.

The process is repeated until the glass level with the top of the wires—usually 3-5 times.

The glass can be opaque or transparent, and can be used as a flat color or can be mixed and blended.

The glass is ground down to flatten the surface, and to reveal any trapped wires.

Finer and finer grits of sanding material is used until the surface is perfectly smooth.

The finished piece is coated with a layer of protective wax.

Funded by an Arizona Commission on the Arts
Research and Development Grant