David Smith is a man out of time, making Victorian-era glass signs in Torquay, Devon, UK, using painstaking processes that I'd have guessed were lost to time. Using gold leaf, silvering, frosting, and extraordinary hand lettering and ornamentation, Smith designs and creates beautiful signs that make me overjoyed to learn they're still being done today.
His website has lots of examples, as well as step-by-step descriptions of projects. His focus is on the arcane methods of glass embossing and decoration, but it seems he could give a master class in lettering alone. As a former calligrapher, I find his design work astonishing -- and that's well before all the precise work it takes to commit it to glass!
Below is a 14-minute film showing the artist at work. I would have preferred to see more of the craft behind the signs, especially the lettering, but the methods we do see are still quite satisfying. If I ever get to Devon, I intend to stop at the Clocktower bar in Torquay, where Smith is seen having a pint and painting one of many glass signs kept by the owner.
Most excellent!
Posted by: Steve | Wednesday, November 03, 2010 at 07:54 PM
In this documentary we follow 'OurGlass', a glassblowing studio formed in 1995 and now situated in Cockington Village, located in the South Devon region of Great Britain.
Brother and sister glass artists Mark Tranter and Patricia Tranter-Edmonds with Lee James reveal traditional glassblowing techniques, behind the scenes work and their inspirations, when creating a wide variety of unique studio/art glass for the trade and retail commissions.
OurGlass of Cockington
ourglasscockington.com
A Film by Danny Cooke
dannycooke.co.uk
Soundtrack by Tony Higgins
tonyhiggins.org
& Hogan Grip (Tony Higgins & Declan Q Kelly declanqkelly.bandcamp.com)
Posted by: Tony Higgins | Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 12:45 AM
http://vimeo.com/19137167
Posted by: Tony Higgins | Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 12:46 AM