Belinda Coyne
Belinda’s practice in vitreous enamelling is both intuitive and expressive, grounded technically within a craft making tradition yet redefined through contemporary methods of application, scale, and interpretation.
Central to her work is the exploration of space and place, framed through grids, maps, and geometric notation, then transformed into abstract visual languages that distil landscapes into simplified, abstract forms. Rather than represent the landscape directly, she seeks to evoke a sense of presence within it, using materials and mark making as tools for orientation and connection.
Working with steel and copper panels, and hand-spun vessels, she applies painted, sprayed and sieved vitreous enamel to create gestural marks echoing the drawings of routes and viewpoints recorded in her sketchbooks.
After kiln firing the enamel at temperatures reaching 850°C there follows a reductive process of abrasion using a wet stone polisher, revealing marks and hidden narratives within the multiple enamel layers.
Through the interplay of both opaque and transparent enamel, copper oxide and digital decals her work develops depth and complexity, balancing the addition and subtraction of enamel to uncover the landscapes within.
By combining traditional techniques with contemporary practices, she explores the intersection of fine art, personal narrative, and historical reflections on place through the ancient medium of vitreous enamel.
