Alexandra Raphael

Olee Maatee

Enameller

Watercolours in glass

Alexandra is a master of the Japanese plique-à-jour technique
She is inspired by the transparency of glass
Her plique-à-jour Lace Bowl is in the V&A Museum

Fascinated by jewellery from an early age, Alexandra Raphael was only 13 when she attended a summer art class in her native US. Such was her dedication that by the age of 18 she was the course assistant teacher. There, she started learning to solder and make silver jewellery, and began enamelling on copper bowls. In 1969 she moved to a remote part of Ireland with her husband. She bought her first kiln and began experimenting with enamels “because working with glass colour was so much more fascinating than plain silver jewellery”. In 1980, mesmerised by Japanese examples of plique-à-jour, or 'backless enamels', she began experimenting with that technique. Now a master of the craft, she uses thin gold wires and translucent glass colours to create what she calls "watercolours in glass”.

Interview

Why did enamelling appeal?: It had to do with the colours that you can achieve with enamel and the glass. I have always been interested in jewellery but it was only when I took my first course at the age of 13 that I really saw the process working, and because I was so young, the people working in it really intrigued me.
Why do you use the Japanese plique-à-jour technique?: Because no one has ever written down how to do it, because there are very few people that use it and because I really like a challenge. The earlier bowls I did were all in silver and very simple, just to see if I could achieve the technique, then I started using gold.
Where do you find inspiration?: For the bowls I like to have a subject that is naturally translucent, so I do a lot of flora and fauna. Insects are perfect for using little tiny wires to define the filaments of the wings; for the sea, it is the translucency of the water, while with the sky you've got rainbows, moons and celestial bodies.
Do you think it's possible to obtain perfection?: I hope not; if I do I'll have to retire! There is always something that you haven't tried. It's like when I made the lace bowl, there are all these holes in it. I want people to say 'how the hell did she do that?'

Alexandra Raphael is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1957