VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) presents The Color of Enamel: New Work by Leighelena (in the Artist Hall), on view December 4, 2010 – January 30, 2011.  Opening Reception (and Fall AIR Open Studio Event): Thursday, December 9, 5:30 – 8:00 PM.

Contemporary jewelry using the age-old process of fusing metal and glass together to create bright enamel will be on display in The Color of Enamel: New Work by Leighelena, an Artist Hall exhibition at HCCC. Austin jewelry artist Leigh Navarro, of Leighelena, creates beautiful enamel jewelry through a process of applying powders and various fragments of glass onto the surface of hand-cut copper shapes and then firing the pieces in a kiln.

As an artist, Navarro is interested in the unpredictable chemical reactions that occur with different materials, and she experiments with enamel and frit. Many of her finished pieces feature bright color and intricate patterns inspired by the leathers and animal skins that she incorporates into her work.

The exhibition features a variety of pieces, from cuffs to necklaces.

Above image: Leigh Navarro, Leather Cuffs on Tower. Jewelry. Glass, Copper, Leather, Nickel. 2009. Detail of a Photo by Bret Gum.