Framing Works on Paper –
Tips about Processes and Materials

By Helga Joergens, Ringstead 2019

Principles of Mounting and Framing Artworks on Paper

This text is based on the talk I gave to artists of the West Norfolk Artists Association in October 2018. It contains information and tips about the materials and processes involved in mounting and framing works of art on paper in a way that follows three principles:

Using materials which will not harm the picture over time
Protecting the artwork from damage because of acid in the materials, moisture and insects
Ensuring all processes are reversible so that the picture can easily be unframed if needed.

As a paper conservator, I came across so many artworks on paper which had suffered through framing with materials that had damaged them over time. For example, ordinary mountboard is made from wood pulp, which is acidic. Even if the cover papers of the mountboard are acid free, the acid will cause a discoloured line all around the edges of the window of the mount because these edges open the way for the acid to migrate easily into the picture. Moreover, when paper made from wood pulp ages, it becomes more acidic. This acid migrates from the mount via the cover paper into the whole substrate of the artwork, discolouring it to brown.

Examples of Discolouration along the Edges of the Windows in Mounts Made from Standard Mountboard

: This is a watercolour in its old mount.

: The watercolour outside the mount. A brown line going along all four edges is caused by acid migration from the window mount into the paper of the artwork. Please see the detailed image on the next page.

: Detail of the top left corner of the watercolour. The brown line where the acid from the window mount entered and discoloured the substrate is clearly visible.

: A charcoal drawing in an old mount made from ordinary and acidic mountboard.

: Visible at the edges of the bevel cut of the window: The core of the window mount has turned brown and more acidic during aging. The outside of the mount has also darkened.

: The same drawing outside its mount.

: In this image, you can see a light line inside the left and bottom edges of the work. This line can be seen on all sides. It was created by the acid seeping out of the bevel edge of the mountboard. Acid has migrated from the window mount into the paper of the drawing.

Examples of Discolouration of the Whole Substrate of a Picture

The following images show the damage of acid migrating from a backing board into the whole sheet of a picture, in this case a print.

: A print in an old mount with its backing board. The paper of the art work is discoloured and has turned brown. On the right hand side you see the inside of the backing board which is discoloured in its entirety.

: The back of the framed print. The outside of the acidic backing board has turned brown.

: Verso of the print. The acid of the old backing board has migrated into the paper of the print and turned it brown. The paper is particularly dark along the edge of the window mount where it discoloured the picture from the front.

: Front

: Verso

The front and verso of the same print after conservation. The brown discolouration has disappeared. If you want to know more about acidity in paper, please go to: https://www.lcipaper.com/acid-free-paper.html

Mountboards

Types of Mountboard

There are four types of mountboard that are offered by manufacturers.

Museum Mountboard

Archival-quality Museum Boards are made from 100% pure cotton fibres. Cotton does not contain any acid. Therefore, if this type of 100% cotton mountboard is used, there will be no problems with discolouration or foxing, (brown spots) caused by mounting boards.

Moreover, it is safe to use for mounting traditional photographs.

Conservation Grade Mountboard

“The core is made from alpha cellulose fibres, featuring a soft, natural, white colour that will remain white. Each board is alkaline-sized, acid-free and calcium carbonate buffered for enhanced durability and longevity. Being conservation quality, boards are lignin-free with no optical brighteners. Cover papers are colourfast, resilient and bleed-resistant.”

However, alpha cellulose is wood pulp. As paper becomes more acidic as it ages, it is only a question of time until they may become acidic enough to cause damage.

Traditional photographs should be mounted on un-buffered boards.

White Core Mountboard

“These boards feature a pure white core and offer a clean, crisp, bevel cut. Each board is lignin-free, alkaline-sized, pH neutral and is calcium carbonate buffered to enhance its useful lifespan by minimising the effect of atmospheric pollutants.”

However, they are made from wood pulp which may cause discolouration over time.

Cream Core mountboard

“The core is made from virgin wood pulp with a characteristic pale ivory colour. Each board is alkaline-sized and pH neutral.”

However, they are made from wood pulp which may cause discolouration over time.

The quotations are taken from the website: http://www.daler-rowney.com/en/content/mountboards which gives a good overview over the different types of mountboard.

Hinging Works of Art on Paper

Hinging Tapes

An artwork on paper should not be attached to the window mount but to the backing board of the mount because they can be caught in the window opening and be damaged.

Nor should it be fixed with:

One long strip of paper along the top edge of the picture because paper expands and contracts according to the humidity in the room. Therefore, this way of mounting can lead to stresses between the work and the adhesive strip and can cause cockling of the artwork.

Masking tape, Sellotape or similar general adhesive tapes. Over time the adhesive dries out and the paper of the tape becomes detached. The adhesive migrates into the paper until it appears on the front as brown staining. Moreover, the adhesive is extremely difficult to remove as it seeps into the paper and bonds with its fibres.

It is far better to use either dedicated gummed hinging tapes or mounting corners for photographs, or Abaca.sa paper hinging tape for giclee prints (digital prints). Traditional photographs are safer mounted using mounting corners or mounting strips. They are also an alternative to paper hinges.

Should paper hinges be used, the company Lineco offers archival grade gummed hinging papers and mounting corners for all cases. Neschen also offers hinging tapes but they are self adhesive and may not be so easily removable if needed at a later date. You can also use any paper strip as long as it is thinner than the work of art you are mounting and as long as it does not contain any wood fibres. The hinges need to be thinner than the picture because if the framed work falls off the wall, the hinges break and not the artwork. If the hinges are stronger than the artwork, it may tear off underneath the hinges and get damaged.

If you use your own hinging paper, Japanese paper is excellent because the paper fibres are very long and give stability to the hinges.

In the section Materials and Suppliers you will find listed all the Lineco hinging tapes and their different usages as well as mounting corners and mounting strips.

Adhesives

As adhesive, a mixture of methyl cellulose and water, wheat starch and water or rice starch and water are best used because these adhesives are acid free, strong, and can easily be removed with water. The wheat starch that is used as an adhesive for paper is the same that you use for cooking. It is readily available in food stores and cheap in price. It is a is stronger adhesive than methyl cellulose or rice starch which is similar to wheat starch, but lighter and thinner after cooking. However, wheat and rice starch adhesive only last for a few days in the fridge, whereas methyl cellulose adhesive lasts several months before it goes off.

Recipe for Mixing Methyl Cellulose

Please go to: Product Information Sheet Methyl Cellulose Paste Recipe (Item: 793-1001)

https://www.lineco.com/pub/media/resources/cat_978_1.pdf

How to Make Wheat Starch Adhesive

Microwave Wheat Starch Adhesive:

: Place 1 flat teaspoon of wheat starch in a medium size glass as the starch will boil high when microwaved.

: Add 5 teaspoons of distilled or de-ionised water (if possible, otherwise use still table water or cold boiled tap water). You may experience that you need 6 teaspoons of water if the paste boils too dry with 5 teaspoons. Battery top-up water has been filled into a small container to make it easier to measure the teaspoons of water. Stir the mixture.

: Wheat starch mixture before boiling

Place the mixture in a microwave oven. Microwave on a high setting (800) for 10 seconds. It needs to boil.
If it has not boiled after 10 seconds, remove the paste, and stir.
Place it back in the unit and microwave it another 5-10 seconds or as long as it needs to boil.

: Wheat starch mixture after boiling. You can see how high it boiled in the microwave.

: Wheat starch directly after boiling: The paste is a bit stiff and translucent. (Please be careful: it should not over-cook and become dry!)

: Let the wheat starch adhesive cool to room temperature. However, it may then be quite stiff.

: Put a small amount (as much as you need) onto a small pane of glass (or the corner of a larger pane), add a small amount of (best) distilled water to it either with a pipette, brush or tea spoon.

: Wheat starch paste with a little water added.

: Mix wheat starch and water in a beating action with a palette knife or the flat side of a knife until the lumps are gone, and the paste becomes smooth.

: The consistency should resemble mayonnaise.

: Wheat starch adhesive ready for use. Please apply it to the hinges with a flat brush.

Hinging

There are various options for hinging but the two most commonly used ones are T-hinges and invisible hinges.

Apply a small amount to that part of your paper hinge that is pasted to the work of art. Paste the hinges slightly inside the top edge of the picture. You need two hinges for smaller works and more for larger pictures. Apply some pressure with your finger and let it dry. It is best to paste the adhesive firstly to the artwork and let it dry before the hinges are pasted to the backing board of the window mount. Please do not attach the picture to the window mount itself as it can be caught in the opening and be damaged.

T-hinges:

For T-hinges, paste a strip of hinging tape across the tape that holds the artwork.

For invisible hinges: fold hinges, which hold the artwork, backwards and secure with a cross tape directly beneath the edge of the artwork.

This type of hinge is used for example in collections (museums, galleries) where works on paper are presented in a mount which can be opened in order to examine the work recto and verso.

It can also be used for float mounting.

A watercolour by David Lendrum on heavy paper is float mounted

Float Mounting

A float mount does not overlap the edges of a picture but instead shows the whole sheet of paper in its entirety. Usually, there is a small gap between the edge of the window and the artwork. Therefore invisible hinges are used. Often it is enough to use the type of invisible hinges shown above for the top of the work and two invisible hinges at the bottom but without the horizontal bar.

However, if the paper of an artwork to be float mounted is rather thin, the paper may cockle with time. (See below left.) To avoid cockling, one can add several hinges along the edges of the artwork. Then a window which is one or two millimetre smaller than the artwork is cut into the backing board of the mount with a bevel cut. Put the picture face down and the large part of the backing board with the open window on top. The bevelled side faces up and away from the artwork. The hinges are pasted on to the back of this window mount. The inside of the window is put in place and sealed and secured with hinging paper.

Float mounting a larger work or one on relatively thin paper with several hinges

: Float mounting a picture drawn on thin paper: it can easily cockle if it is hinged only at its four corners. (The image is removed as I have no copyright to illustrate it.)

: Several hinges have been added on all four sides of this poster for float mounting

: The poster fixed on the backing board of the mount. The hinges are invisible. The work is ready for float mounting.

Framing

The same care to protect works of art from acid when mounting should also be applied when framing them.

Sealing the Rebate of the Frame

: Image showing the rebate of a frame

: Lineco Self-Adhesive Frame Sealing Tape Image: https://www.lineco.com/frame-sealing-tape.html

In order to stop acid migrating from the inner side of the frame (rebate) into the mount, you can seal the rebate. This can be done by painting it with oil based primer. Water based primer is not a barrier to acid as the acid in wood is water-soluble.

Alternatively, you can stick a self-adhesive frame sealing tape along the rebate. It has two layers: the one that adheres to the frame is made from aluminium, whereas the layer facing the picture is made from paper. The image, right, shows the characteristics of the tape. Here the whole back of the frame is covered by it. If you use glass you only need to seal the rebate because the glass protects against acid migration from the front of the frame.

Glass

There are different choices of glass for your frame. Already ordinary float glass protects the artwork to some degree from the damaging effects of the UV rays in light. If using ordinary glass, the picture should, if possible, not hang in direct sunlight because, as we all know, daylight, in particular bright sunlight, bleaches out colours and even black ink, and darkens paper.

There are different makes of UV protection glass available; museum glass contains also an anti-reflective coating like that used for spectacles which makes the glass almost invisible. Another option is UV-protective acrylic glass. These UV-protective glasses filter out over 90% of the UV rays. However, their surface is static and may lift the top layer of pastel and charcoal drawings on to the glass.

A wide selection of glass can be viewed at: Wessex Pictures, Glass Products: https://www.wessexpictures.com/glass_products.html

Frame Backing Boards

The artwork needs to be protected against acid from the back of the frame too. There are different ways to do that. A safe and very protective frame backing board is ‘Art-Bak®-AQUA’: https://www.wessexpictures.com/ART-BAK_AQUA.html

There is also Art-Bak® Standard board: https://www.wessexpictures.com/ART-BAK_STANDARD.html

Both boards are made from triple layered corrugated cardboard which is 2.9mm thick. According to the information on the website of Wessex Pictures, they are made from recycled materials and buffered with calcium carbonate to stay alkaline for a very long time. The brown side faces to the back of the frame whereas the grey side faces the artwork. The boards curve slightly inwards to keep the artwork flat in the frame.

In addition, ‘Art-Bak®-AQUA’ contains a moisture barring membrane. If the board gets moist, it bulges outwards away from the artwork thus keeping it dry. The board becomes flat again when it dries out. I have experienced this phenomenon with pictures exhibited on damp walls.

: Art-Bak®-AQUA’: outside of the board The inward curve of the dry board is clearly visible

: Art-Bak®-AQUA’: inside of the board. This side faces the artwork.

If you use traditional boards like MDF, please be aware that these frame backing boards are acidic. You can seal the board on the inside to stop acid migrating from it into the back mount and ultimately into the artwork by painting the board on the inside with oil based primer, or put a sheet of kitchen aluminium foil on the inside, or a sheet of , Melinex® or Mylar® polyester films.

Closing the Frame

Once the frame backing board is in place, the easiest way to fix it is by special tabs which are ‘shot’ into the rebate with a tab driver.

Tab Drivers and Tabs

There are different tab drivers on the market. Please see in the section Materials and Suppliers.

Tabs

It is recommended to use only Rigid Tabs but I use Flexi Tabs for small and medium size frames and, when framing larger pictures, combine them with Rigid Tabs. Flexi tabs can be bent so that the work can easily be unframed if needed. However, although they are strong enough for small and medium size pictures, rigid tabs are necessary for framing larger works in order to stop the back of the frame from falling out. If you open and close a frame a few times, please check that the flexi tabs are still rigid enough to hold, or replace them if necessary.

Framing Tape for Sealing the Back of a Frame

A good and highly recommended tape for sealing the back of the frame is gummed brown tape. However, the adhesive in gummed tape may dry out, like in this example:

: The adhesive of gummed framing tape has dried out

: and the tape has become loose.

If the back of the frame is painted or varnished, gummed tape may not adhere to it. In that case, self-adhesive brown craft frame backing tape can be used. If you can’t find it with your supplier, it can be found on ebay (Please see the section Materials and Suppliers below). As the tape is situated outside the backing board of the frame, it is far away from the artwork and cannot damage it. Therefore I am of the opinion that it is safe to use them. Tapes come in different widths: 25 mm, 38 mm or 50 mm.

Please do not use the self-adhesive tape from ‘Tesa’. It become rock-hard after a few months to a year and will be very difficult, if not impossible, to remove. I contacted ‘Tesa’ (in Germany) about it and they confirmed the fact that it hardens completely with time, saying that it is a masking tape for spraying cars and only designed for short term usage.

: Triangular seal of the frame corners

: Framing tape in place sealing the edges

In order to make sure that the back of the frame is sealed tightly enough to stop tiny insects like thunder flies from entering, triangular pieces of framing tape can be placed in the corners of the frame covering the gap between the backing board and the frame before the framing tape is added to seal the edges.

Finishing the Frame

The image, left, shows the finished back of a frame including the string on D-rings and two felt frame bumpers pasted at the bottom of the frame.

D-Rings

D-rings are a strong and flat way to attach the string to the back of the frame. In the example, left, the string sits too low. A good height is ¼ of the length of the frame measured from the top.

The picture below left shows a D-ring positioned in such a way on the frame that it can be swivelled outwards and does not overlap the inner edge of the frame. Now the picture can be unframed without removing the D-rings.

The image below right shows the D-ring in position for attaching the string and hanging the picture.

: D-ring turned outwards to unframe the picture. Inside of the frame outside

: D-ring in position for attaching the string. Inside of the frame outside

String

I use a loop of string and knot the ends together with a reef-knot because it is very secure. Reef knot: right over left, left over right.

In this way you only have one knot that you can move off centre for hanging the picture and which will be invisible once the picture hangs on the wall.

Felt Frame Bumpers

In order to let air circulate and avoid moisture build-up behind the frame, felt frame bumpers should be pasted to the bottom of the frame. Bumpers are available in two sizes: of 2 mm thickness for small to medium size pictures and 3 mm for large ones.

If you place them 2-3 cm inwards, they are not visible from the side once the picture is hanging on the wall.

Materials and Suppliers

As an artist, I frame my own work on paper. A frame is intended to protect the picture. However, as paper conservator, I have experienced that acid framing materials and certain practices can harm the work over time.

I am often asked how I frame, which materials I use, and from where I purchase them. Therefore, this article contains tips on methods and materials that keep the artworks safe.

To find those materials, a list of possible suppliers has been added. The list is not conclusive and you may find others of your choice.

Needless to say, I have no personal interest in any of my recommendations and selections, and they are not meant to be advertisements.
The complete materials list can be found in the PDF

Groundbreaking Sculpture

Fisheater, Lynn Chadwick, 1951

Figure Totem Beast: Sculpture in Britain in the 1950s is the name of a current exhibition at Tate Britain. It is noteworthy because the sculptures were made in the time after the Second World War where a growing optimism of a more humane society was contrasted with the fears of nuclear development in the Cold War. These opposing elements are explored through pieces in isolation, with couples or in groups. The pieces are dynamic and full of energy.

Lynn Chadwick, Conjunction, 1953

New methods and materials of working 3 dimensionally and carving through space were used and developed. Prominent was the use of welding and iron.

Lynn Chadwick learnt to weld in order to execute The Fisheater. An enormous skeletal free-standing mobile. One of his first. The lunging part of the sculpture is both sinister and beautiful with its graceful and delicate moving elements.

In Conjunction, Chadwick uses the new technique forming the outline of planes with welded metal and filling them with a plaster/iron mix now rusted to give the desired effect. It is also one of his first depictions of the human couple.

The Unknown Political Prisoner
Part of the display consists of entries to an international competition to design a monument to ‘The Unknown Political Prisoner’. Organised by London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1952, 3,500 artists from 57 countries entered. Although there was no apparent political bias, no entries came from east block countries.

Reg Butler, Working Model for ‘The Unknown Political Prisoner’ 1955-56

The Grand Prize went to Reg Butler. His planned 300 foot monument rising from a rock foundation was never realised.

Entries by Bernhard Heiliger (West Germany), Luciano Minguzzi (Italy) and F.E. MacWilliam (Britain) were short-listed. The maquettes can be seen in the exhibition. A compelling maquette by Geoffrey Clarke is also shown. However, he entered a different model into the competition.

Human experience is transferred into animals creating symbolic totems in works by Elisabeth Frink, Henry Moore and others.

This exhibition is a wide ranging, thoughtful, exceptional collection of 3 dimensional work that is well worth exploring and absolutely essential for anyone interested in sculpture, British or otherwise.

Tate Britain until 4 February 2019
Find out more.

Visit to Musée Matisse in Nice

Musée MATISSE entrance lobby

I’m sure I have mentioned before how lucky I am to have a lovely daughter living in the Cote D’Azure, and on my visits to see her, how we put aside a day to visit a museum of my choice.

This year, in September, we visited Musée Matisse, which is located in a beautiful olive grove (Just like Renoir’s house) in the area of Nice known as Cimiez. The area surrounding the museum is a real bonus as well; because it is full of amazing Roman ruins, which you can walk amongst, picnic, and enjoy, no “Keep off” notices.

Roman Ruins by Musée Matisse

This visit was a double bonus for me, and I’ll tell you why. Going back to the days when I had the Gaywood Art Centre, I heard of a young lad, aged 10, in Romania, who longed to be an artist, and wanted so much to be able to paint. Through the local church I was able to send him parcels each month of paint, brushes, canvases and all the things he needed to fulfil his dreams. I supported him, artistically until he was accepted into University. Now, in his 40’s he is Professor of Art at Arad University and a worldwide Contemporary Artist, exhibiting in countries all over Europe. His name is Cristian Sida, and, believe it or not, I had never actually met him. So we arranged, through facebook, to meet at the Musée Matisse in Nice. When I walked through the door and saw him standing waiting for me, He just threw his arms around me and said “I have been waiting 26 years for this meeting”. So, that made my visit so amazing and fulfilling, I will never forget it.

Matisse and Picasso

The musee is very spacious and airy, and is on three floors, tracing the artistic journey of Matisse from his early days to his final paintings. In this particular exhibition they also examined the relationship between Matisse and Picasso, who were not only competitors, but also inspired each other. I have to say that, in my opinion, Picasso’s work paled into insignificance next to the bold colourful work of Matisse.

As we moved from floor to floor, with an amazing commentary from Cristian, who had studied both artists, and teaches history of Art at the University, it was hard not to become emotionally involved with the work and the life story.

Matisse sketching

I found myself more and more attached to Matisse, who came across as a Perfect Gentleman. There was an excellent film to view, and it showed his thought processes and drawing skills, and let you into his life in a way that still photographs could not.

During the day, Cristian and Tracey and I had our hands stamped, and left the museum for an hour to enjoy a sandwich and coffee in the little “popup Café” in the grounds, and we talked and talked as though we had known each other for years, his English was perfect, and so was his French, and the breadth of Cristian’s knowledge was breath-taking.

After lunch, we returned to the museum, and viewed the last floor, and some of the work Matisse did in his final years. Like so many artists of his generation, he lived to a good age, continuing painting as long as he physically could.

It was very hard to have to say goodbye to both Matisse and Cristian, so we went back to some of our favourites, and didn’t want to leave until they put the lights out.

It was one of the best days I can remember, and I learned a lot, both about Matisse and about Cristian, and we agreed we wouldn’t leave it another 26 years before we met again.

Helena Anderson

Two Visits to Sainsbury Centre

“Helen and I enjoyed 2 separate visits to the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich UEA. The most recent being Elisabeth Frink (1930-1993) exhibition which started 13th October to the 24th February 2019. Elizabeth Frink we hadn’t come across before but a most original artist living a Bohemian life in the 1950s and dedicated to her sculpture work, this relating to the horrors of the Second World War. The combination of human and animal sculptures were quite unnerving and fascinating at the same time.

Before that during the summer, we visited the Brian Clarke exhibition and enjoyed his marvellous stained glass. The wonderful coloured glass displayed on the ground floor were breathtaking and showing in another area were his preparation sketches and trial display panels for commissioned work.

Both artists are cutting edge in their different fields and enjoying a way of life with bohemia and
jet setting that one can only imagine.’’

Brian Clarke was born in Oldham in 1953. He is best known for radically updating and innovating the medium of stained glass. Also celebrated for his work on canvas, sculpture,
mosaics and tapestry. All these media and more are illustrated within this, the official Brian Clarke website.

“Stained glass has the potential to contribute to the urban fabric of the 21st century as successfully as it did to the 15th …”

Since the early 1970s, he has collaborated with some of the world’s most prominent architects to create stained-glass designs and installations for hundreds of projects worldwide. For example: the Pyramid of Peace in Kazakhstan; the Al Faisaliah Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; AGM HQ in Kassel, Germany; Apax & Partners HQ, London; The Hotel du Departement des Bouches-du Rhone, Marseille; The Lake Sagami building, Japan; The Dutch National Ballet, Amsterdam; Pfizer World Headquarters, New York; Swiss Bank Cone, Connecticut; Paul McCartney World Tours; The King Kahled International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Norte Shopping, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; The Victoria Quarter, Leeds, UK; Abbaye de la Fille Dieu, Switzerland.

He is a visiting Professor of Architectural Art at University College London; an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects; Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; Hon. Doctor of Law, University of Huddersfield; Committee of honour, Foundation Vincent Van Gogh, Arles, France; Chairman of the Architecture Foundation, London; Former member of the design review committee for the Commission of Architecture & Built Environment; Trustee & Council member of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust; Sole Executor of The Estate of Francis Bacon.

Elisabeth Frink, Bird, 1952. © Frink Estate and Archive / Photo:Ken Adlard

ELISABETH FRINK: HUMANS AND OTHER ANIMALS
13 October – 24 February 2019
This autumn, the Sainsbury Centre will open a major new exhibition of Suffolk-born artist Elisabeth Frink (1930-1993).
Elisabeth Frink: Humans and Other Animals features over 150 works by the artist, and will be the largest showing of Frink’s work in 25 years. The exhibition will explore Frink’s enduring preoccupation with human and animal forms and the symbiotic relationship between them. It will provide new perspectives on the key themes found in her work, from responses to the Second World War and the Cold War climate of fear, to the role of man as both aggressor and victim.
Humans and Other Animals will examine Frink’s radical and Bohemian beginnings in 1950s London and trace the evolution of her practice over all four decades of her career, as well as juxtaposing her work with that of contemporary artists, ancient art and other modern masters including Rodin, Picasso and Bourgeois.

John Walker

Smashing Success at Heritage Open Day

What a day! Perhaps it was the sunshine on 16 September that contributed to the wonderful good feeling on Heritage Open Day. Regardless, we were thrilled with the enthusiasm and turn out.

In the Shakespeare Barn, Michele Summers’ greeting and explanation of activities got everyone into the creative mood.

Heritage Open Day 2018

16th September from 10am to 4pm
at the Fermoy Gallery and Shakespeare’s Barn
St. George’s Courtyard, off King St.
King’s Lynn
PE30 1EU

The West Norfolk Artist Association in partnership with King’s Lynn Festival have put together a wonderful range of art activities to celebrate Heritage Open Day; including drop-in creative sessions, workshops, demonstrations, and a heritage treasure trail for all. Continue reading →

West Acre Gardens and ‘The Artocracy’

At the suggestion of one of our members, my husband and I visited this delightful walled garden with some very interesting plants, shrubs and trees. The sun was shining on us that day and although a lot of the plants were over there was still plenty to see. It is relatively small and easy to walk around and there is a bench under one of the trees to sketch or simply sit and contemplate.

On site there is also a coffee shop cum cafe with indoor and outdoor areas with an extensive menu and Norfolk Ice Cream. There is also a nursery which offers a wide choice of plants at very reasonable prices.

If you are a keen gardener or plant lover I would definitely recommend a visit. The best time to see the gardens would probably be May/June time.

The gardens are off the beaten track but there are signs showing how to get there.
www.westacregardens.co.uk

‘The Artocracy’

On the way into the car park you drive through a large wooded estate and you can see the back of a very, very large historic house together with a life sized sculpture. I enquired at the Gardens and was told that the country’s most famous sculptor, Sir Antony Gormley OBE owned the house and the gardens. (Antony Gormley is probably most famous for his vast sculpture ‘Angel of the North’ as well as ‘Another Place’ at Crosby Beach, Liverpool, which consists of 100 cast iron figures facing towards the sea). His work nearly always involves casts of his own body.

West Acre High House originally came up for sale in 2008 for £9.5m including 1100 acres but it remained on the market for some time until Gormley purchased the house in 2010 for £3m – the price being reduced for less land and factoring in a £1.5m restoration programme.

West Acre High House was built in 1756 and added to during the 19th century. I only saw the back of the house, which in my view is not very appealing, however I have since seen photographs of the front of the house which is much more attractive. It is an unusual house in that the South front has 7 bays but the North front has 13 bays.

Antony Gormley is one of several artists glibly named ‘The Artocracy’ as they are buying historic properties and are willing and able to finance the huge restoration projects.

One of the first ‘Artocrats’ was Peter Paul Rubens who bought the Castle of Steen Manor House in the Netherlands in 1635 which is said to have led to some of his finest landscape paintings.

Damien Hirst also purchased the historical country house, Toddington Manor, in Gloucestershire which had been empty for 20 years with serious concerns about outbreaks of dry rot and the need to replace the acres of roof.

Hirst purchased Toddington Manor in 2005 for £3m with a planned £10m programme of restoration although it is thought that the costs could be much higher.

The house has been shrouded in scaffolding for 13 years (much to the annoyance of conservationists and neighbours) to prevent further decay and to protect a temporary roof.

It is expected that the restoration will be a lifetime’s work.

Another sculptor, Sir Anish Kapoor CBE, RA was very interested in taking on the lease from the National Trust of Ashdown House in Berkshire but it eventually went to Pete Townshend of The Who. Leasing would have given Kapoor the status without the huge restoration costs.

It is heartening to me to learn that some of our great artists are protecting the future of these beautiful historic homes.

Esther Marshall

My thanks to www.thecountryseat.org.uk who have been an invaluable source of information.

Naked in Church

Recently on reading a news item in a national newspaper ‘Nudity Rings Alarm Bells at Cathedral’ I was prompted to write about my own experience of exhibiting art in churches since living in Norfolk. I have always felt slightly inhibited by the atmosphere of religious spaces for exhibitions, particularly having only previously exhibited in a gallery environment where I felt free to show work without boundaries or restrictions.

In the newspaper it described the four acrylic canvas works by the artist Joe Greenwood as being ‘ to in your face’ for display at Portsmouth cathedral as part of the summer show by the Portsmouth and Hampshire Art Society. A spokesman for the Diocese of Portsmouth said “ When planning the exhibition the paintings were considered to be suitable but a number of visitors and regular worshippers expressed distress about them” The nude paintings were subsequently removed and returned to Mr Greenwood. How humiliating and ridiculous particularly when one considers the ‘Sistine Chapel’ in Rome.

My work often depicts the human figure, male and female, but I have never exhibited these images in our Summer Exhibition in St Nicholas Chapel for this very reason but more to do with not offending the Friends of the Chapel and visitors as the congregation no longer exists. The chapel I understand is for weddings and funerals. I notice whenever nudes, usually small intimate studies , are presented the curators tend to tuck them away behind a screen not at the front to greet visitors.

The first exhibition I saw on arriving in Norfolk was at Salthouse church part of the North Norfolk Exhibition Project and this felt exciting and not inhibited by the surroundings. All manner of topics and subjects were represented including the human figure on a grand scale. Not always obvious but that was the interesting part. The church lent itself so well as an exhibition space being austere and white without too much ornamentation and offering an insight into the artistic life of Norfolk and beyond.

This autumn our exhibition will be in the Fermoy Gallery at the kings Lynn Arts Centre and a great opportunity to feel free of any restrictions on subject matter. In the past the Summer Exhibition has been held at the Arts Centre and there will hopefully be further opportunities to do so in the future.

Lydia Haines

Summer Exhibition 2018 in Pictures

July 21 to August 4, 2018
Open daily 10.30am–4.00pm.

Impressions of this year’s exhibition at St. Nicholas Chapel in King’s Lynn.

The Preview

We launched the exhibition with the preview on Friday evening. Special thanks go to Robert Rickard, the 14-19 advisor for Norfolk County Council for opening the exhibition and selecting the Syd Davison Award winner.

His thoughtful consideration of the all the work was evident through his words and greatly appreciated by all.

Fabulous music was provided by Ed & Laura.

: Exhibition Preview

: Ed & Laura

: Robert Rickard (right)

: Izzy Wingham, Winner of the Syd Davison Award

: Neil Leggett, Winner of the Inga Miller Award

The Winners

The work chosen for the Syd Davison Award was Silver Seals by Izzy Wingham.

This year’s Inga Miller Award chosen by the committee went to Neil Leggett for Maquette No. 1 (Marengo).

The Visitor’s Choice Award goes to Jill Ilett for Le Jardin Anglais.

: Silver Seals by Izzy Wingham

: Maquette No. 1 (Marengo) by Neil Leggett

: Le Jardin Anglais by Jill Ilett was the Visitor’s Choice winner

The Exhibition

The Workshops

: Painting a Self Portrait in Watercolours with Ann Froshaug

: Angels in Art with Esther Boehm

: Monoprinting Without a Press with Kit Price-Moss

: Colour Mixing for Artists (Masterclass) with Thelma Chambers

: A Little Hand Made Book with Pauline Wrighton

Supported by

The Legacy of Kettle’s Yard

1. House extension, downstairs Showing Italo Valenti’s collages (1964) and Lucie Rie’s bowl ‘The Wave’ (1971)

Looking at the origins of Kettle’s Yard in 1957, it is hard to imagine the legacy it has become. Although Jim Ede would have preferred a stately home, he was offered 4 tiny condemned slum dwellings from the president of the Cambridge Preservation Society.

The actual origins predate this. On first appearance it was his meeting Ben and Winifred Nicholson in about 1924 while he was an assistant at the Tate Gallery. In fact, it was a visit to the Louvre at 13 years of age and access to the Free Library at the Fitzwilliam at 15 where his love of early Italian painting began and started him on his collector’s journey.

This collection is also a personal journey of circumstance and chance meetings. It was Ben Nicholson who introduced Ede to contemporary art. He was able to purchase unsold Nicholson paintings for the price of the canvas and frame for the price of one to three pounds when he could afford it. Some, Nicholson gave him.

In 1926 his position at the Tate brought him into contact with Alfred Wallis. Again, he bought as many paintings as he could afford.

His collection of work from the estate Henri Gaudier-Brzeska was acquired “for a song” because nobody else wanted it.

Now the collection contains work by over 100 artists also including Joan Miró, Constantin Brancusi, Naum Gabo, Christopher Wood, Barbara Hepworth, David Jones, Henry Moore and Italo Valenti (one of my personal favourites).

: 2. Jim Ede at Kettle’s Yard

: 3. Jim Ede’s bedroom table

: 4. House extension

: 5. WNAA members in Ede’s Library

: 6. Reading of any book allowed

: 7. House extension, downstairs

: 8. House extension, upstairs

: 9. Members view Gormley’s Edge III

: 10. Installation view

: 11. Infinite Cube

I’m amazed at the forsight and humanity of Jim Ede. Ede describes Kettle’s Yard as “a continuing way of life from the last 50 years, in which stray objects, stones, glass, pictures, sculptures, in light and in space, have been used to make manifest the underlying stability which more and more we need to recognise if we are not to be swamped by all that is so rapidly opening up before us.” These words are as relevant today as when they were written. Maybe moreso.

The atmosphere of the house is exceptional through the mix of art and found objects. Through Ede’s nature collections we are reminded that this space is personal, home. The library is Ede’s actual library. All books are available to study. This in keeping with the open house tradition.

From 1957 to 1973 when the Ede’s lived there, their home was open to visitors every afternoon. Kettle’s Yard, today, continues in this spirit. It is a place to spend hours of discovery and well worth visiting again and again. A wonderful place to use and be.

In the new gallery Antony Gormley SUBJECT uses the space and architecture to show 5 works into which we are drawn, become participants or maybe even the subject (?).

It’s well worth watching the BBC documentary, imagine … Anthony Gormley: Being Human to gain tremendous insight into Gormley’s life and work. (Shown Thursday to Sunday.)

Antony Gormley SUBJECT runs until 27 August.

Kettle’s Yard
University of Cambridge
Castle Street
Cambridge
CB3 0AQ

+44 (0)1223 748 100
mail@kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk

Visit Kettle’s Yard website for more information.

Esther Boehm

Further photo information:
3. House cottages, downstairs Jim Ede’s bedroom table
4. House extension, upstairs Designed by Sir Leslie Martin, opened in 1970
7. Showing the Buddha from the Prang Sam Yot Temple, Lopburi, Thailand (13th or 14th century) and works by Mario Sironi, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska and Ben Nicholson
8. House extension, upstairs showing Winifred Nicholson’s ‘Roman Road’ (1927)
10. Installation view Antony Gormley SUBJECT © Antony Gormley
11. INFINTE CUBE © Antony Gormley

Photos 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 & 8 © Kettle’s Yard, University of Cambridge
Photos 3, 7 & 8 by Paul Allitt
Photos 5, 6 & 9 by Helena Anderson
Photos 10 & 11 by Benjamin Westoby