murals
Ashley Rye
Decorated Kitchens and Bathrooms,
part 2
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image
Stencilled bathtub in a Paddington flat.
This was done over a sponged eggshell finish. The stencils are cut from
matt polyester draughting film, which is thin,
translucent, and tough. They are cut in 'sandwiches' of three or four at
a time, on glass, with special knives, including one with a revolving head
which is perfect for curves. The advantage of technique is that exceptionally
fine detail can be obtained, especially with airbrush. The effect is similar
to Japanesewoodcut/stencil, clear and sharp-edged, although it can also
be knocked back and antiqued where necessary. The Japanese
used the inner bark of the mulberry tree for
their stencil paper for their wonderful designs, which were printed on kimonos,
fabrics, etc, and cut these stencils in batches of eight at a time. I have
a nice collection of hand-cut stencils drawing from Victorian, Art Nouveau, Japanese and Islamic
designs, and will assemble a separate portfolio of these, time permitting.
Here is a chest in the bedroom of the same
flat, painted in the same style as a cupboard with lupins that you can see
in the furniture section, washed-out
blue with a crackle glaze finish.
A touch of fuschia and ribbon to tie them
in with the bedroom cupboard.