Introduction to Lacquer & Japanning - Three Day Intensive

Lacquer means a hard, smooth coloured surface: smoother, and with more depth than paint, and more durability. To Westerners in the past it meant the highly prized coloured and decorated objects that they discovered in Japan, China and India, unlike anything that had been seen in the West. These objects were decorated with urushi, a lacquer which comes from the sap of a tree and was applied in many layers in a craft technique that was developed over centuries. The Japanese still produce lacquerware using urushi and it is still highly prized. It does not travel well and Westerners are usually allergic to it, but it was so sought after in the past, and so rare in the West, that Europeans tried to replicate its depth and lustre with other materials. These attempts were known as japanning, and were, and still are, a craft in their own right.

This course is taught over three consecutive days. Your tutor, Simon Hawkins, lacquer and gilding specialist, will introduce you to lacquer, and the traditional and modern techniques used to replicate urushi. You won’t be using urushi itself because of its toxicity, but you will use traditional shellac and modern resins and pigments to create lustrous surfaces, and Alex will teach you a range of techniques to decorate your work, using gold leaf and other materials.

This video about the work of japanning artist Tuesday Riddell, explains it all and gives you a taste of what you will learn to do in Simon's class

All tools and materials will be provided, but if you want to lacquer a specific object you should bring it along.

Teaching hours are 10.00 am to 4.00 pm, Monday to Wednesday.