Title: | Menemsha Glow |
Inventory#: | PI000943 |
Size: | 6" x 4" |
Frame Size: | 8" x 6" |
Medium: | Titanium Flame Painting |
Titanium Flame Painting or Flame Anodized Titanium refers to the technique of permanently changing the color of Titanium by using a torch. Titanium starts to change color around 600-700 degrees F. The Hottest flames produce blues and light Blues while cooler temperatures create golds and oranges.
“The titanium flame paintings are a culmination of my early days of traditional painting with my current work as a metal smith / jewelry designer. I’ve been making earrings, necklaces and rings with the flame painted titanium set in sterling silver and 14k gold. Now making the larger, 2-D wall pieces I’m able to explore more detail and really expand on this technique.
Heating the titanium to different temperatures with a torch changes the color. From yellow to orange and purple to blue, the color varies with the level of heat. By switching between the torch and my polishing machine, I am able to grind away bits of anodization from the titanium to begin layering the colors. I use various polishing wheels to add texture that creates the clouds and waves and light dancing on the water’s surface.
The frames also involve my torch. Using the ancient Japanese technique of shou sugi ban, I burn the wood to a char. Then oiling to bring out the grain.” ~ Kenneth Pillsworth
Next Items Preview
Kenneth Pillsworth
Kenneth Pillsworth is a jewelry designer and maker working with metals and unusual gemstones to create stunning artisanal and wearable pieces.
Born in 1969, Kenneth was raised in the Hudson Valley of New York, where he displayed an early affinity for the arts. His background in fine metal work began just after high school when he had the opportunity to apprentice with William Scholl, a master goldsmith.
After time spent traveling and studying, Kenneth visited Martha’s Vineyard and was drawn to the vibrant jewelry scene emerging on the Island in the early nineties. It was here that he honed his skills as a fine arts jeweler, apprenticing for both Paul D’Olympia and Richard Hamilton, while working after-hours on his own pieces. For a time, he worked and lived above Claudia Jewelry in Edgartown. “I wanted to go in a new direction and have my own thing. Claudia let me work in the studio at night,” Kenneth says. “Having that time by myself was instrumental.”
Kenneth started his own business in 1995 and was one of the original exhibiting artists at the Vineyard Artisan's Festivals on Martha's Vineyard. In 1996 Kenneth Pillsworth and three other jewelers formed the Edgartown Jewelers Studio, and Kenneth continued to share this space until 1998 when he decided to create his own studio in his home.
Each piece of jewelry Kenneth creates is an individual composition, conveying a specific statement. His pieces are stark and utilitarian, but striking in their simplicity, and consist of layered metals in different textures blended together in unusual ways. Kenneth exploits the properties of the metals he works with, starting out with the larger forms and “sprinkling” in the smaller, moving around the shapes as he “sketches” out his concepts in metal, creating abstract and often surprising new forms.
When working with stones or gems, Kenneth forms the concept for the piece around the stone he is featuring, building the design around its inherent features. “The materials dictate what I do,” he says. The finished product is a masterful combination of artistry and skilled craftsmanship.
Each year Kenneth travels to gem shows in Tuscon, Arizona, where he sources and is invigorated by the new materials he finds there. But no place has had more of an impact on his work than the Island of Martha’s Vineyard, where he has lived for the last thirty years. “The island has transformed my life and my work,” he says.
In addition to custom pieces created especially for clients, Kenneth’s jewelry may be found in galleries and shops nationwide.
Take a tour of Kenneth's Studio:
Check out his work and his process on YouTube:
Artifacts Blog: Creative Couple, Jhenn Watts and Kenneth PIllsworth