Dorothy Cockrell lives and works in Edinburgh. She was a teacher for many years, making silver jewellery and learning enamelling in her spare time. Retirement set her free to pursue her interest and she began to win awards for her work from the Guild of Enamellers. She now edits their journal, runs workshops and courses in Britain and abroad and regularly exhibits her work. Dorothy finds inspiration from poetry, natural patterns and colours, textiles, and the work of other craftspeople. She finds experimenting and discovering new techniques as satisfying as producing finished pieces. In Dorothy’s words, ‘‘Enamelling seems very close to magic but the basic technique is as simple as making toast.’’