The Complete Decorator [antikvár]

Introduction I wrote this book because I wanted to make sense of its subject matter. Literally hundreds of books have been written about decoration and paint 'effects' in the last twenty years, and it's about time that these topics were put into their proper context. I hope this book does just that. In writing it, two words loomed large, floating in the air above my word processor, CONTEXT and RESONANCE. My general feelings ran as follows: surely, to teach any decorative technique well, you should show, and talk about, how and where the technique must be used. For decades we have seen objects, rooms, even cars and toilet seats, painted with the most incredibly inappro-priate finishes. They have not enriched our world; they haven't even made us laugh. A proper understanding of where something is appropriate, and what you can and cannot get away with, is highly important. Of equal importance is to understand the power of what you are doing. Do not expect verdigris and rust, as finishes, to be somehow interchangeable; one suggests value, age and the presence of some nobler metal that has been worked at some time by a craftsman; the other reminds me of decay. This point illustrates how essential it is to discuss and explore the psychological impact and resonances of surfaces and finishes. Each use of paint or gilding as a surface treatment has some hidden powerful importance. I have also been at pains to point out when a technique is easy and when it requires some practice. There are plenty of books that say it is all so easy. I have written those words many times myself, partly in a desire to see more people pick up a brush and have a go, to discover how easy it is to do something moderately well and find a way of expressing themselves. However, this book is for those of you who want something more; for those who are prepared to explore, experiment, study a Uttle and, above all else, practise. In working through this book I hope you will come to appreciate the biggest secret of all: the importance of knowing and understanding your materials. This is something that every good decorator understands immediately, even if he has never been told it. The contents of a paint or medium, its list of ingredients, as it were, are absolutely key to our understanding of it and, more importantly, what we can do with it. If you understand a little of how acrylic paint performs and what makes it waterproof when dry, you are half-way to being able to develop and invent your own techniques. Of course, only one thing will take you the whole journey and that is the laborious process of practice, trial and error, experimentation and testing, as you put your materials through their paces. If you wish to advance your art, you should be prepared for this, rather than simply relying on every written paint recipe and technique as though they represent the end of the line. I have invented some of the techniques in this book from scratch, others I have maybe refined or adapted, others follow the prescribed accepted canon (gesso, for example). In the studio, we have tested all of them and subjected them to criticism and scrutiny. As a result, for the moment I see many of them as about as refined as I can irriagine them. For you, however, they may otJy be a starting point. MAGIC AND SPONTANEITY: THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT IDEAS IN PAINTING In my studio, I am rigorous about one principle: that paint effects must be Uke magic tricks, they must dupe you into beUeving that some force other than the human one has been at work. Sometimes, when the effect is a faux one, or particularly fine, this means that if you leave a careless brush mark, a run, or a thumb print in your work, you have broken the spell, because the viewer wiU then usually be able to work out how the trick was done. Equally, if your varnish coat betrays the poor undercoating by reveaUng the ridges of brush marks, or dries to a gritty finish, you have let the work down. A perfect, flat surface that is silky to the touch and resembles french polish, adds a sensual aspect to one's work and adds to the magic.