AARON DERMAN    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     Enamel Artist, Jewelry Maker

About Aaron | Art Work

Aaron Derman first came to the Caribbean in 2005 as an engineer sent by a leading studio and recording equipment maker to install recording studios for local musicians.

A self taught engineer, musician and artist Aaron now works in glass, copper and silver, pursuing the ancient art-form of enameling.

Raised in Boston in a world rich with art and technology Aaron was a young child when his mother, an art educator, introduced him to enamaling. "Some of my earliest memories are of my mother unpacking jars of brightly colored glass powder and transparent lumps and then seeing them magically transformed by firing in a kiln..."

Enameling is an ancient art-form predating recorded history. the oldest culture to give this art a name were the Greeks who called it "Electrum". During the Medieval era enamel artists produced their works using the colored glass found in the stone walls of ancient Pagan temples. Amazingly those earlier cultures were advanced enough to have an adequate understanding of chemistry and physics to create colored glass and skillfull enough to control the formulating process to where it would adhere to metal.

When silver and gold foil are used to reflect light from within transparent colors enameling becomes a natural dichroic medium. The special depth of Copper Enameling is due to the interaction of opaque and transparent colors that provides a limitless range of 3D textures and colors not possible in other mediums.

Aaron developed much of his enameling process' and techniques while on the road working the art, craft and music festivals. He has produced 1000's of enamel pieces while exploring how different enamels interact in the fire of a kiln. His specialy is hand cutting fine patterns from rolled sterling silver sheet which are first used as stencils, and then imbedded in enamel on a copper base.

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