If you ask me of an advantage of sticking to the same job for many years ! The one that comes to my mind is the pleasure of working with old friends ! No need to try and understand a new creative partner ! To work out what they are like ! What will upset them ! Wether you can trust them ! There is an unspoken language about … an understanding ! And you can just get on with the job at hand listening to the radio ! As if it was your day off !!!
My friend and long time creative colleague Bruce Hamilton asked me recently to step in the making of a dining room set … a special order he was making for a special client “the art lovers one”. It’s a secret code !
21 years ago Bruce Hamilton and I worked together on recreating beautiful furniture for the dining room of Mackintosh’s House for an Art Lover in Glasgow ! Bruce was the furniture maker and I ! The stenciller ! The result was unique If i say so myself ! It has been admired by many over the years and numerous young couples have tied the knot seating on them.
Those chairs though have been the beginning of a 21 cooperation and from time to time Art Lovers order a set to Bruce and I come along just before the last lacquer is applyied and stencil the design ! The same design ! The unique one conceived for The House for an Art Lover believing that Mackintosh would have been happy with it !
Bruce is a true furniture maker he has a workshop full of fierce machines to tame the wood ! No Mdf in there but the most beautiful planks of Oak with superb grain ! He spends hours choosing the right piece and then with some kind of magic (and much hard work) he turns it into a solid chair with a hand rushed seat ! A chair for life not the kind you will get rid of next year when the fashion is over !
Bruce is a Mackintosh specialist ! Many years of looking, working with the designs the great man created ! Recently his chairs made it down to 78 Derngate in Northampton for their centenary exhibition. And again we shared I stencilled (not on the chairs this time) and he came along with his chairs…
And I stencil, I mean not little flowers around a bathroom out of plastic stencil ! I stencil up a tall scaffold designs I have cut by hand in oiled manilla card ! Designs I have researched and who are in perfect tune with the listed buildings I work in .. I once considered spending my life in researching stencilling and that is quite attractive but I love the buzz of creating with one’s own hands.
I saw a photo of the dining room suit in its new owner’ s room it looks grand and I love the fact that it will go on being loved for years. So I put those stencils away for today and will wait for Bruce’s next text before I pick them up again !
If you would like to see more of Bruce’work well !!! Its Here !
As for mine ! Read on !
Have a lovely day I hope you like those chairs …
Love Betty xx
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