Ref: S1D32373
Kintsugi (golden joinery) first started in Japan around 500 years ago. The philosophy of Kintsugi is to celebrate the damage caused to a vessel, by showcasing the cracks and damage with the use of pure gold and resin. Instead of hiding the imperfections, they should be celebrated – a philosophy that is seen not only for craft, but perhaps also for life.
Favoured family ceramics and heirlooms were once repaired with ugly staples or bound together with glue that could not hide the cracks or repairs. Japanese craftsmen overcame this problem by binding the piece back together with a permanent adhesive made of natural resins and powdered gold. The repairs thus became highly visible and showcased the repairs as part of the history of the unit. The style became so popular that people would deliberately smash or damage valuable pieces for them to be repaired in this way.
In this one-day class, we will look at the art of Kintsugi, using contemporary glues and 23.5 carat gold-leaf. You may bring broken pieces from home to work on or bring along a piece to break specifically for the course. You may also work on as many pieces in the one day as time will allow.
Small pieces of missing ceramic/china may be recreated, using modern epoxy resins (up to around one-two cm).
You will be repairing these pieces, using superglue as a bonding agent. Any small holes or missing pieces will be recreated with epoxy resin. All the repairs will then be coated with a water-based product (Instacoll Rapid) to build up a thick layer, covering the cracks. 23.5 carat gold-leaf will then be applied to the Instacoll adhesive, effectively making the cracks visible as solid gold lines. The final result will then be cleaned and burnished.
Timetable for one day courses
Students should arrive by 9am for registration.
Classes are from 9.15 - 5pm
Lunch is included.
Richard Walker studied gilding at the University of Portsmouth. Gilding for twenty years and teaching for fifteen, he has developed a global reputation to top artists, framers, furniture designers, interior designers and museums, where he is renowned for creating new and interesting ways of gilding surfaces in traditional and modern methods.
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