Golden leaf

A few years back we bought a couple of ornate plaster and gilt frames from a flea market. They were a bit battered, but Brian was keen to make them a little project and repair them. The intention was never to make them perfect, as we like to keep some of the history within the objects, but just to fix them. The main areas of focus are the broken details, where the white of the plaster shows through from underneath the gilt.

First of all they both needed a thorough clean, he did this gently with warm water and a soft cloth.

The whole process is quite lengthy, and it’s perfect having l’atelier (the studio) where he can leave the two frames out on the table without having to clean everything away. Every now and then he disappears off to shape some more plaster moulding, or add some gold leaf. He is now starting to finish off some areas by painting and shading them to blend in with the old parts of the frames.

It’s very exciting seeing their development, and I’m now looking forward to seeing the finished articles, and fitting some suitable pictures into them to then put up on the walls in the house.