Ligonier's Loft Artist Statement

By Cheryl Robertson

Creative expression through my art is one of the most important dimensions of my life.  Throughout my 32 years as a high school art teacher, I have experimented with many different art forms.  Much of the time was spent exploring clay techniques, glazes, paper clay and raku.  Opening the kiln after a glaze firing was like unwrapping presents on Christmas morning.  The magic of the kiln transformed the pottery into kiln treasures.

After attending workshops at Touchstone Center for the Arts, I began enameling and exploring precious metal clay, (pmc). Similar to clay, the heat from the kiln transforms both pmc and enamels. Enameling is the process of  melting powdered glass onto copper or silver. Precious Metal Clay, (PMC), is a patented technology developed by the Mitsubishi Corporation in Japan in the early 1990’s.  It is a putty like substance that contains fine silver particles with an organic binder and water.  After the pmc is formed and dried, it is fired in a kiln to burn out the binder and fuse the silver particles.  The result is 99.9% pure silver.

I currently work as a kiln artist, creating one of a kind pieces and very limited production pieces in pmc, enamels, and clay.  I sell my art work through my website, galleries, festivals and shows.

At my art studio, Ligonier’s Loft, I teach various workshops in PMC Jewelry, Enameling, and Ceramics.
I also collaborate with local artists who teach at Ligonier’s Loft.  Presently we offer workshops in Beading, Pysanky, Drawing, and Printmaking.  I am planning to expand the variety of workshops and teachers as the business grows..