Vitreous Enamelled Jewel Beetle frame by Leanne McCormack. Handmade in Co. Antrim.

Leanne has reused and repurposed rusted metals to create her intricate insects.  Leanne gives these materials a new lease of life by piercing, filing, forming and adding them to these creations. Parts have been vitreous enamelled giving a vibrant colour pattern. Each piece is unique. 

Leanne makes each piece from copper sheet, which is hand pierced to make the insects’ body and antennae, etc. The pieces are then filed and sanded by hand. The copper is annealed and then the body and head are formed on a doming block. In the final process the pieces are soldered together. 

The wood type frame is deep and the piece can be either hung on a wall or leaned against a surface.

Approximate size: 25.5cm length, 25.5cm height, 4.5cm depth

About the maker:

Leanne is inspired by the natural environment and this series of work in inspired by Earths’ dwindling insect population. She hopes that the work will engage the viewer and draw their attention to the beauty of nature and the amazing colours and forms that can be found in the insect world.

In making some of the insects, Leanne reuses and re-purposes rusted metals, these would sometimes be discarded, ‘tarnishing our beautiful’, around our Northern Irish landscape. She has given the metal a new lease of life by cutting, filing, shaping and adding them to her insects. Each piece is unique, as the enamel comes out of the kiln differently each time. The recycled metal used in other parts of the beetles, have different patterns and textures which nature and the elements create over time.