B Y S TA F F W R l T E R
ROBIN L. FLANIGAN
Photos by CARLOS ORTIZ
Democrat & Chronicle December 27, 2001
Rochester, N.Y.

IRONDEQUOIT - Lucky came along first, a cocker spaniel that Yvonne Cupolo got when she was 16 and old enough, in her mother's eyes, to handle the responsibility of caring for a pet.
Seven more dogs followed over the years, inspiring the Irondequoit artist to capture their expressions on delicately constructed, cloisonné enamel pendants, pins and other items. (And I'm only 50,'' she points out, so I have time for another eight - I hope.''
A former student of local sculptor Albert Paley, Cupolo now spends most of her studio time on commissions. Dog lovers nationwide send her photos of their Welsh corgis, German shepherds and collies, which she uses for reference when fusing glass and fine silver wire into a piece of wearable art.
Felines and wild Animals find their way into her work as well, but about 80 percent of her work goes to the dogs.
Jobs at regional museums and schools - including a stint as director of the 1000 Islands Museum Craft School in Clayton, Jefferson County, in the early 1980s - have earned Cupolo a following. Her jewelry is for sale at the Memorial Art Gallery 500 University Ave., where she teaches classes twice a week.

She's been included in juried exhibitions at the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog in St. Louis, and has won prizes in the jewelry category at Art Show at the Dog Show, a national competition and annual event in Wichita, Kansas But customers also find her on the Internet. She has her own site at www.yvonnecupolo.com and is one of 25 artists selling work at www.UniqueDogArt.com a collection of limited edition photographs, key chains, ceramic mugs and other canine related products representing nearly 60 breeds.

"The work I'm looking for is different'' says Jennifer Mellin, a 29-year-old Florida account manager, who created the site in April to pay tribute to her Boston terrier, Boo. "It's fun. It's whimsical. And Yvonne's work is exquisite.''

Cupolo's specialty is cloisonné enamel jewelry, which uses high-temperature firing in a kiln to join metal and glass.

As Cupolo describes cloisonné enameling, many layers of glass are painted and fused to a
precious metal base at 1500 degrees. Complicated pieces can take up to 40 firings in the kiln. Fine silver wires form the outlines of each design which is set in sterling silver or gold. Some include topaz, aquamarine and other gemstones. One of her pins that's a little
bigger than a quarter took between eight and 10 hours to make and costs $150.
These days, says Cupolo, art is more about the concept or the final product than the often-
painstaking process in between: "I enjoy the technique."
 She credits Paley with teaching her about "craftsmanship'', about paying attention to every detail and making the back of a piece look as good as the front. But she leaves room for less serious works - the sketches she knocks out while watching television. All of them depict dogs performing human tasks. Among them are "Surfing at Cape Cod,'' Bichon Bachelor Party'' and "Miss Sara Lee Sings Calypso.''
For an hour each morning, she takes her two dogs - Speedy, a mixed-breed stray, and
Yogi, a Bichon Frise - for a walk in the woods behind her house which backs up to Irondequoit Bay. It's the house she grew up in; her studio is on the second floor.
Years ago, she owned five dogs at once - three strays and two poodles. "It doesn't seem right to have only two now," Cupolo says, a bracelet of silver dog bones hugging her wrist. "I'm just a soft-hearted sucker,aren't I ?"