Meet my followers: Joy

I'm really delighted to introduce you to Joy Funnell today - one of the followers of my blog.  I first "met" Joy at the beginning of 2010 when she purchased a couple of pairs of my early aluminum earrings. From then on, I started reading her blog and following her creations.  I remember one of the first blog posts that I read of hers. It was about her trip to Japan and how she made a necklace inspired by a drain cover!  Check out her "down the drain" post!

Spirito di Venezia by Joy

Joy is a metal clay artist and senior instructor living in Hastings in the UK. She runs many classes - either for certification in metal clay, or beginner or specific technique classes.  She is an instructor at the upcoming Metal Clay World conference this July.   Her work can be seen in many different publications.  Her blog is called "fired with imagination" and she sells her work, and metal clay, on her website.

She often combines wonderful enamel work with metal clay and has devised a clever method to make the "cells" for enamelling from silver wire.  Her work always looks so neat. Here is one of my favorite examples of her enamelling:

Something fishy by Joy

She joined my "bird a week" challenge so it's been great to see her creativity channeled to birds at least once a week.  Look at this wonderful example:

La Fenice by Joy

Through our correspondences, I find out that she's worked in many other media too, including wood carving, glass work and has recently taken classes in ceramics.

The back of Joy's pieces are a delight as well as the front. She takes real care with the reverse side, often adding stones and always her signature.   Here's a great example:

And I have to end with one of my other favorites - (I know - it's like all of her work is my favorites!). This brooch just makes me laugh! It is one of her bird a week pieces, and shows a wonderful group of little birdies' faces with their eyes looking in different directions!!

I hope you've enjoyed seeing Joy's work. There is such a happy spirit behind it all and I look forward every week to seeing her newest bird.  I'm hoping that we can meet face to face one of these days on one of my trips back to the UK.  Timing didn't work out this trip, but maybe in November???