Monday, November 07, 2005

My Reward in Heaven


I spent the whole weekend attending a free studio workshop on gilding. I should have been paying attention to my wife, or perhaps getting some other relative work done. But how could I pass up a workshop on making frames from one of the countries leading experts on the history of and making frames - Bill Adair? He was really great despite the parade of logistic disasters that struck on Sunday. Because of issues like missing gold leaf and lack of schedule, nobody actually came away with a finished product. I will have to buy some supplies to finish mine. The important thing is - now I know how to gild properly and I have the free instructional books and pamphlets to prove it. I can now gild the beautiful Peruvian frame I brought back from there all those years ago. I wanted to do it before, but didn't because I didn't want to mess it up with my lack of knowledge.

I have had a fascination with super ornate decorations, like frames, for a long time now. The more silly and unnecessary the better (Illuminated manuscripts, Gothic and Louis XIV crap is great). A project that I have had in my head for a long time is to make a giant fancy gilded frame at least eight feet or ten feet to a side with layer on layer of gilded design. The special thing about it would be the tiny opening: two by two inches at the largest with a mirror placed near eye level with a tilt. This is so that people will be able to see themselves framed as richly as possible. It would be titled, "My Asshole." I would gaze into it often just to knock me down a few pegs, while at the same time making me look good.

2 Comments:

Steve,
i think you are a magpie, perhaps. gilded things make you happy? that's also the view i have of all historic preservationists, as illustrated such:
we had a guest speaker in one of our HP classes...he showed a lobby of a bldg. restored in Chicago, the before and after photos. This was NOT a "great space," architecturally, but the domed ceiling was gilded in the "after," and EVERY SINGLE PERSON in the room let out a little sigh when it appeared on the screen.
you are all magpies.
tones 

Posted by tones

11/12/2005 08:30:00 PM  

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Am I a chatterer? Or perhaps you mean magpie in the litteral sense? Either way, I think you are a Northeastern Catbird, perhaps.  

Posted by Steve

11/12/2005 10:55:00 PM  

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