Behind the mirrors, hand painted leather marquetry
We use sustainably produced vegetable tanned leather, tanned using natural tannins and metal free.
Mirrors are such interesting objects to work with as the main element of them is the reflection of the environment around them.
We first looked at colours we liked from our ever changing moodboards. In particular with the Washi mirror, this was heavily based on our trip to Japan. I think we took over 1000 photos there! It was truly the most beautiful and inspiring place.
Getting the balance right of creating a surround that supports the main function of them can be difficult. There is an interesting interplay between creating some sense of space within the artwork and the space within the mirror itself.
Vital to our practice is mark making in the studio, this is the experimental stage and the part we enjoy the most, trying to replicate the colours and textures from our research.
We then took these paintings into computer software and played with layering them, altering transparency and opacity. Once we settled on the design, leather is cut into various shapes and we began to hand paint with our water based leather paints. Always the most tricky part as nothing is ever truly replicated this way, which is the beauty of hand painting.
We create the walnut frames ourselves to ensure a perfect fit, for this reason we are able to offer other wood varieties and colours if necessary.
