The Enamelist Society was officially registered in India in December 1999. The Society is committed to preserving and encouraging the art and craft of enamel, and proactively building on India’s enamel tradition. Through the Society, for the first time enamellers in India share a common platform, and work together for promoting the development and sale of enamel work, in both traditional and contemporary idioms.

Aims: The main objectives of the Society are to assist enamellers, artists, jewellers and crafts persons to improve techniques and absorb new ideas, develop contemporary designs, and attain international standards of excellence. . The Society will also work to secure improvement in indigenous materials, kilns, colours, and implements used by and useful to enamellers. Through workshops it will become a resource centre: not only can people learn the craft and about the craft through the Society; they can also learn to teach others. And as a resource centre it proposes to have a library where books, magazines, and international publications on the subject will be made available. Of special interest is the design approach which integrates materials to create new products with a contemporary application – for example, wood with enamel on copper; granite with enamel on metal and bell metal with enamel on metal; this approach also combines traditional forms with an unfamiliar technique, for example, Orissa filigree in plique-a-jour.

Exhibition and Conference: An important aim of the Society is to forge international contacts and organise exchange programmes for the benefit of Indian enamellers. Equally, it is important to show the public and art lovers the possibilities and the power of this lesser-known medium.

Workshops:“Come, let’s play…. These are our toys: copper, colours, wires….”

This is the way the Society’s workshops begin. It is an attempt to approach enamelling from a fresh angle, removed from mere repetition, so that the creative inner spirit is recharged and new techniques are learned.

In those workshops the interaction opened a window to limitless possibilities… a world of experimentation, where traditional expertise in materials took on a whole new vocabulary and led to new directions. For the Enamelist Society it was the concrete start of an aspiration to reorient creativity so that techniques other than just engraving are learned, so that artistic potential is realised from within the tradition but moulded in a new direction.

Information on Courses
The enamel workshop offers immense gratification for those who take it, be it a teacher student, artist, or a hobbyist. What is important is that after one or two workshops one can start to enamel on one’s own. The basics of enamelling, the use of both vitreous and industrial enamels, dusting, wet application are taught. In 4 days students become familiar with the techniques o sgrafito, stencilling, cloisonne, etc. They are able to make at least 10 to 12 small pieces each.

After the first course the student can be trained in whichever direction he or she would like to pursue: arts, crafts, or jewellery. The Enamelist Society is developing into a resource centre to help an interested institution or an individual to set up enamelling studios and to be able to access any material on enamelling that may be required.

CHARGES: Rs. 20,000.00 for a 4 day workshop with 10 to 12 students. All materials including a kiln will be provided by the Society.

The Society conducts workshops on a regular basis in the studio at:

B 25 Chirag Enclave
New Delhi 110 048
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 91 11 26472933, 26462331

Additional Contact:
Swati Mehta
Tel.(022) 23862425, Fax:(022) 23631289

Email: [email protected]