Janine Partington, enamelled wall hangings

Naomi Jones talks to Janine Partington about her enamelled wall hangings.

Have you always been artistic?
Having creative parents (my father, Enos Lovatt, is a painter, my mother a former potter) seemed to make producing things inevitable. As a small child I was fond of messing around with paints, pens and paper. However, I worked in a museum after university, and largely ignored my artistic impulses until my 30s when I discovered enamelling.

How did that come about?
After the birth of my second baby, I craved time out from my everyday life. My husband – a lecturer at the School of Art, Media and Design at UWE Bristol – suggested enamelling, which he also practises from time to time. I enrolled in an evening course at Filton College in Bristol where I was lucky enough to have excellent facilities and a very patient teacher. After three years of classes I bought my own kiln, and in 2006 I became a full-time enameller.

Can you describe the making process?
Enamelling is the art of fusing glass on to metal, such as copper, which is what I use; the resulting object is strong, durable, impervious and colourfast. I use this technique to create wall panels (as well as jewellery) that can be displayed in any room, even a kitchen or bathroom.

What inspires your designs?
Nature, in all its guises; I translate the forms of seed heads, trees and flowers into fresh, clean designs.

Where is your workshop?
My studio is literally the heart of my home; being in the house allows me to keep track of the family while I work long hours. It’s pretty cramped, though, so it’s a constant juggling act: managing the piles of boxes, frames, enamels and other paraphernalia associated with my craft.

Which artists do you most admire?
On a personal level, it has to be my father; he embodies what I think of as an artist with his skill, passion, imagination and intensity. Outside of my family, there are many artists and makers whose work I respect and covet: David Hockney’s Yorkshire landscapes; Gordon Baldwin’s beautiful sculptural ceramics; and Lucy Casson’s cartoon-like tin figures.

What advice would you give other busy mothers?
Be creative in everything you do, and don’t wait until you have the time – do it now – it can only enrich your life.

Contact Janine on 07742 740642 or visit janinepartington.co.uk.

FEATURE NAOMI JONES
Featured in the October 2009 issue of Period Living