Frome Decorative Arts Exhibition 2011

Friday, 29 April 2011

Rook Lane Arts commission

Oh, guys, yes, I forgot Rook Lane will charge 25% COMMISSION ON ALL WORK SOLD, which I think is very light.

Wednesday, 27 April 2011

Progress report 26-04-11

　
I expect some of you may be wondering what progress has been made for this event, so without further ado:

The space at Rook Lane is now booked and the deposit paid. I have had lengthy discussions with Annie Davies (who has taken over from Jo - in case you didn’t know). It has been agreed that Rook Lane will handle the bar for the private view and that I will be providing the snacks. The event will be open from Sat 19 Nov to Sat 3 Dec, but the space will be closed on 20/21 and 27/28. The private view will be on the evening of 18^th, while hanging may commence on 17^th. Takedown will be Sat 3^rd Dec. Rook Lane will be sending out their email newsletter to guests, artists and the media and will include the event in their new, monthly brochure. I have provisionally booked three musicians to play at the private view and various times throughout the event. (If you have anyone you would like to suggest – all suggestions welcome).
I haven’t been pushing for confirmation of entries, as it is still early days, but will be asking for numbers after the Frome Festival has quietened down.
A poster, invite card and postcard have been designed and are just waiting confirmation of names.
The website is almost complete and uses the same fab software that I used for my own website at http://www.takescantalk.co.uk/
Once this is complete I will post it and then all participants are free to take a look and verify content.
So that we can generate a wider awareness of the event, beyond the local area the media list is now fleshing out; Frome Times, Craft and Design Magazine, Homes and Antiques, Arts Council, Crafts Council, Wessex Muse, Architect, The World of Interiors, Design, Somerset Life, Blackmore Vale Magazine, Somerset Arts Website, Bath Magazine, Frome Creative Network website, Mendip Times, Western Gazette, SAW website, London Galleries (tba), Frome FM, The List (two ads booked for Sep and Oct), Frome Life, Telegraph on Saturday. Any other suggestions gratefully accepted.
Theresa Sundt, the fab colour therapist will be giving a talk and a day course in colour therapy "Colour Discovery explores the nature of colour through science, art and research, focusing deeply on ways in which colour can heal us and improve our lives. Theresa Sundt spreads colour knowledge through a variety of courses and events, seeking to develop the use of colour as one of the best tools for self-awareness and well being." I’m not suggesting anyone who comes to the exhibition, or even to Theresa’s events is unwell J but the understanding and application of colour is a useful tool in decoration and design.
http://www.colour-discovery.com/index.html

Roger Barnes and I will be giving a talk on the Omega Workshop and we are currently collating info on this (any help gratefully accepted).

Zac Greening will be exhibiting and will also be holding a workshop for kids on creating art using recycled materials. You can see Zacs fab work at

http://www.stisa.co.uk/artist-gallery/zac-greening/

OK that’s it for now.

Best regards

Mel

How to prepare furniture for decoration

Instructions

things you'll need:

Light-grit sandpaper
Water-based primers
Portable vacuums
Water-based paints
Paint sprayers
Tack cloths
Small and large brushes
Newspapers Or drop cloths

Make sure there's no chance that your piece of furniture is an antique could be destroyed by changing the finish.

Set up your work area in a well-ventilated place with nothing around that could produce flames or sparks.

Remove drawer pulls and other hardware. Place the furniture on a layer of newspaper or a disposable drop cloth.

Sand the piece of furniture until smooth with sandpaper or liquid sander. You may need to sand the furniture two or even three times, starting with relatively rough sandpaper (100 grit) and moving on to progressively finer grits (150). Wear gloves, safety goggles and a dust mask.

Remove any residual sawdust with a hand vacuum, brush or a tack cloth - you don't want to wet the wood.

Apply a coat of either white brush-on or gray spray-on water-based primer, depending on the size and area of the piece of furniture you intend to cover.

Allow the primer to become dry to the touch; this usually takes 1 to 2 hours. If you're not sure, read the recommended drying time on your can of primer.

If the primer coat looks spotty or thin, apply a second coat and allow it to dry.

Sand any rough areas.

Add a coat of water-based paint. Brush it on with even strokes, going in the direction of the wood grain. With spray paint, make slow passes with the can 8 to 12 inches from the wood surface. Allow the first coat to dry.

Add a second coat and allow it to dry overnight.

Tips & Warnings

Wash paintbrushes well immediately after use. Rinse under fast-running water until the water runs clear from the bristles.
When working with latex paint use brushes with synthetic bristles. Natural bristles work best for oil or alkyd based paints
When using spray paint, cover a wide area with newspaper to protect adjacent surfaces.
Always work in a well-ventilated area.

Tuesday, 1 March 2011

The Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture

Yes the Decorative Arts are alive and well and thriving all around us.
The Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture has a fantastic website which you should really be inspired by. There is everything there from painting patterns, to textiles, interior design, lectures, children's workshops, contemporary design, art and issues related to the domestic environment. Check it out at www.moda.mdx.ac.uk

Monday, 27 December 2010

Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert is the greatest decorative-arts museum in the world.

Read more:

Or go see at the V&A website at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/

CERAMICS
Four years of refurbishment are now complete. Rooms
140 - 145 offer a comprehensive introduction to the world
of ceramics, featuring about 3,000 of the museum's finest
pieces. The remaining rooms display the rest of the
collection - around 26,000 pieces - as a study resource"
　
FURNITURE"The collection at the Victoria and Albert
Museum consists of more than 14,000
pieces from Britain, Europe and America,
dating from the Middle Ages to the present
day. It is predominantly of furniture but also
includes related objects such as architectural
and decorative woodwork, musical instruments,
leatherwork, treen and clocks. The collection
also includes complete rooms, some of which
are on display in the British Galleries."
　
Fashion, Jewellery & Accessories"The Victoria and Albert Museum has collected
dress since its earliest days.
The collection covers fashionable dress
from the 17th century to the present day,
with the emphasis on progressive and
influential designs from the major fashion
centres of Europe. The V&A collections
also include accessories such as jewellery,
gloves and handbags."

Wouldn't it be lovely if Frome had its own permanent Museum of Decorative Arts?
Does anyone out there know anyone who would like to donate a building to this cause?
　
　
"The V&A houses the greatest and most comprehensive
collection of Ceramics in the world. For the first time in
100 years, we are redisplaying this vast collection which
spans from 3500 BC to the present day. The collection
is particularly rich in Ceramics from Asia, the Middle
East and Europe.　http://www.frommers.com/destinations/london/A24116.html#ixzz19KVJInGx

Monday, 29 November 2010

Thursday, 25 November 2010

Some interesting links

http://vads.ahds.ac.uk/search.php

http://www.wolfsonian.fiu.edu/

http://www.designmuseum.org/

http://www.ftmlondon.org/

http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/

http://www.bgc.bard.edu/exhibit/

http://www.thesilverbulletin.com

http://www.wallpaperhistorysociety.org.uk/

WIP

Here is a copy of the original document setting out the idea of the exhibition, some background to decorative arts (Omega Workshop) and a list of those expressing an interest so far.
Of course there is a breadth of time before the actual exhibition date so there is going to be some movement of those who express an interest and those who finally participate.

Decorative Arts Exhibition Frome
Objective: To hold an exhibition of work by various artists and craftsfolk from the Frome area which will reflect the application of design to household (and office) interiors. This would be the first of its kind with further annual exhibitions to promote new work and artists, as well as special features.
Artists will not be restricted in their style, nor choice of object and medium.
The concept of Decorative Arts is to take art, crafts and household items and bring them all together to create added value.

The items could be as wide ranging as:
Wallpaper, Carpeting, Fabrics and soft furnishings, Curtains, Pillows
Tables, Chairs, Magazine racks, Chests, Storage units, Chalkboards
Key holders, Doors, Fireplaces, Laptops, Garage doors, Lamps
Umbrella stands, Crockery, Tableware, Toys etc etc.

A new category would be video projection and electronic media as a new form of decorative art.

Publication and marketing of a book of each exhibiting artist and their work at Blurb.com

Background: The average person who under normal circumstances would take great pleasure from purchasing art or crafts is now coming under pressure to question where the household budget is going to be spent. This may not be the best time to ask people to INVEST in art, but if they can be persuaded that their hard earned cash can go into making their home arty, crafty, more enjoyable and practical then they may be able to make an easier justification. In short decorative arts must aim to make the item enjoyable and pleasurable to have in the home.

Target Audience:
1. AB socio economic, 45-65, professional, qualified, knowledgeable, town and country.
2. AB socio economic, 35-44, professional, qualified, adventurous, town.
3. Professional architect/ interior designer, design/art/crafts media.

Structure: Like all good events the exhibition of items is only an integral part of what makes the event a success. The event could take place over one week + two weekends.

Community: A lecture on decorative arts and the Omega Workshop; a discussion about what people expect from arts and crafts in the home; a handout to be made available to artists which gives them further contacts and inspiration for creating their own decorative arts; a demonstration of how to prepare furniture for art application, the launch of a new decorative arts centred resource website; a workshop on how to produce decorative arts with some hands-on experience for both adults and children.
Public questionnaire about the arts and decorative art with prize for participation.

Venue: Somewhere with an evocative atmosphere and with a reputation for holding similar events with a mailing list of its own.
+ Launch evening + closing party (and auction?)

Media: Good forward media coverage in local, national, specialist, broadcast and electronic media.
A leaflet to be available to the public.

Support: Sam West

Interest so far (17-11-10):
Kate Cochrane
Roger Roving
Annette Burkett #
Ingrid Gammage
Stina Harris
Gladys Paulus #
Kate Raffray
Ellen Tovey
Helga Watkins Baker +4
Sarah Simpson
Bha Phardy
Caroline Walsh Waring #
Anny Colgan
Barbara Huxley
Barbara Clark
Lyn Truscot
Mel Day
Adam Harvey & Emma Wells
Claudia Phipps #
Helen Langford #
Emma Wells & Adam Harvey
Mel Sewell #

Jason at Frome Times

# confirmed.

Copyright Mel Sewell 10-11-10

Addendum

About Omega Workshop

The Omega Workshops was a design enterprise founded by members of the Bloomsbury group and established in 1913. It was located at 33 Fitzroy Square in London.
Beginnings
In forming the company, critic Roger Fry aimed to remove what he considered to be the false divisions between the decorative and fine arts, and give his artist friends an additional income opportunity designing furniture, textiles and other household accessories. Fry was keen to encourage a Post-Impressionist influence in designs produced for Omega. However, Cubist and Fauvist influences are also apparent, particularly in many of the textile designs.
To ensure items were only bought for the quality of the work, and not the reputation of the artist, Fry insisted works be shown anonymously, marked only with the letter omega. The products were in general expensive, and aimed at an exclusive market.
Designers and Manufacturers
In addition to offering a wide range of individual products, such as painted furniture, painted murals, mosaics, stained glass, and textiles, Omega Workshops Ltd offered interior design themes for various living spaces. A commission was taken to decorate a room for the 1913 Ideal Home Exhibition, and an illustrated catalogue, including text written by Fry, was published in autumn 1914.
Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant produced designs for Omega, and Wyndham Lewis was initially part of the operation. Lewis however split off at an early stage, taking with him several other participants to start the rival decorative workshop Rebel Art Centre after accusing Fry of misappropriating a commission to decorate a room at the Ideal Home Exhibition in the autumn of 1913. In October 1913, Wyndham Lewis, Frederick Etchells, Edward Wadsworth and Cuthbert Hamilton announced their resignation from Omega in a letter, known as the 'Round Robin', to its shareholders and patrons. This letter contained accusations particularly against Fry, criticising the workshops products and ideology. This split not only led to the formation of the Rebel Art Centre, but also the Vorticist movement.
Most manufacturing for Omega was outsourced to professional craftsmen, such as J. Kallenborn & Sons of Stanhope Street, London for marquetry furniture; Dryad Ltd of Leicester for tall cane seat chairs and a company in France was used to manufacture early printed linens.
In the autumn of 1913 Fry, who also created the designs for Omegas tall cane seat chairs, started designing and making pottery. After he considered book design and publishing in July 1915, the Superintendent of printing at Central School of Arts and Crafts collaborated with Omega in designing four books that were later outsourced for printing.
The range of products continued to increase throughout Omega Workshops six year existence, and in April 1915 Vanessa Bell began using Omega fabrics in dress design, from which dressmaking became a successful part of the business.
In January 1918, Omega were commissioned to design sets and costumes in the Israel Zangwill play ‘Too Much Money’.
Closure and Legacy
Omega closed in 1919, and was officially liquidated on 24 July 1920. Media coverage of the workshop had always been mediocre, and it had relied heavily on the patronage of wealthy London society within artistic and literary circles. A series of poor financial decisions and internal conflicts all contributed to its decline. At the time of its closure, Fry was the only remaining original member working regularly at the workshop. Despite this, Omega became influential in interior design in the 1920s.
Edward Wolfe worked at the Omega Workshops, handpainting candle-shades, trays and decorating furniture. Wolfe, who died in 1982, was one of the last of the Bloomsbury painters.
A revival of interest in Omega designs in the 1980s led to a reassessment of the place of the Bloomsbury group in visual arts.
In July 1913 Omega Workshops Ltd opened to the public at 33 Fitzroy Square in the heart of London's Bloomsbury. The workshops incorporated public showrooms as well as studios, and were staffed by a business manager, caretaker and a group of artist assistants. Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant and Roger Fry were named as Directors.

Roger Fry founded and was the driving force behind the Omega Workshops. Unlike his most obvious predecessors William Morris and the designers of the Arts and Crafts Movement, Fry was not concerned with social reform or protesting against contemporary machine manufacture, but wanted to remove what he saw as the false division between the fine and decorative arts. He was keen to see some of the key ideas of Post-Impressionism, such as bright colours and bold, simplified forms, applied to design, as in these candle shades designed by Wyndham Lewis.

Fry also wanted to help his artist friends by providing them with the chance to make a living designing and decorating furniture, textiles and other household accessories, alongside their artistic careers.

Fry felt that objects and furniture should be bought for their aesthetic qualities rather than the reputation of the artist, so he insisted that all work was produced anonymously. Designs were unsigned and marked only with the symbol Ω, the Greek letter 'Omega'. 'Omega' is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, and in the late nineteenth century it was used to mean the 'last word' on a subject.

Wednesday, 24 November 2010

In The Beginning

Decorative Arts Exhibition
Rook Lane Chapel, Frome
Nov 19 - 3 Dec 2011

Objective: To hold an exhibition of work by various artists and craftsfolk from the Frome area which will reflect the application of design to household (and office) interiors. This would be the first of its kind with further annual exhibitions to promote new work and artists, as well as special features.
Artists will not be restricted in their style, nor choice of object and medium.
The concept of Decorative Arts is to take art, crafts and household items and bring them all together to create added value.

The items could be as wide ranging as:
Wallpaper, Carpeting, Fabrics and soft furnishings, Curtains, Pillows
Tables, Chairs, Magazine racks, Chests, Storage units, Chalkboards
Key holders, Doors, Fireplaces, Laptops, Garage doors, Lamps
Umbrella stands, Crockery, Tableware, Toys etc etc.

A new category would be video projection and electronic media as a new form of decorative art.

Publication and marketing of a book of each exhibiting artist and their work at Blurb.com

Please help to make this a value-added exhibition and one which will help establish Frome as a centre of creative excellence.

Mel Sewell
(In case it isn't obvious I shall be curating, as well as exhibiting)