Japanning

2022

“The UK’s Covid-19 lockdown presented a perfect time to slow down, reflect and explore new mediums within my practice. I was intrigued by a craft called ‘japanning’, a 17th century European decorative technique that was developed to imitate Japanese lacquer. It is officially on the Heritage Crafts Association’s (HCA) red list of endangered crafts. I immediately felt that the time-consuming process contrasted perfectly with my fluent approach to drawing. 30 layers of pigmented shellac varnish is required to create the rich and reflective surface, and each piece is painted with gold size, gilded in a range of techniques with gold leaf and hand-painted with Indian ink. They shine in natural light, and glow mysteriously at night.” - Ottelien Huckin