Frances Federer Blog: Peaches, artwork and neighbours

Artwork needs a home

During my time in San Francisco I made a piece of work larger than usual, consisting of 6 sheets of recycled window glass. The total overall size was 6’ x 6’, or 2m x 2m. I had it framed in the simplest frame, to keep the cost and the weight down, so it wasn’t especially sturdy. When it came to leaving and returning to London, the guys at Aedicule, http://www.aedicule.com, dealers in hand-made, high quality antique and reproduction gilded frames, asked if they could hold it at their showroom; a very informal arrangement which relieved me of the problem of what to do with it.

Several years passed and lo, a message appeared on one of the Social network sites, which I do not use really, asking me to please collect! Reasonable, but tricky. Happily a former student of mine and friend in San Francisco, Jane Richardson Mack, http://janerichardsonmack.com has offered to help in whatever way she can. If she can get it sold, wouldn’t that be great?

In the Forest

Talking of people who are doing good work, Dave Smith, fellow gilder on glass but so much more, is on the up and up. He is becoming, deservedly, internationally very well known. http://davidadriansmith.com/

Wooden church

We took off for a couple of days and went first to Krakow to shop, then on south towards the mountains. Archangel Michael’s church, mid 15^th century, is made of larch and much of it is original. I am crazy about patina, and there was plenty here; 500-year-old hinges on wooden doors, what a treat. But the overwhelming feature was the painted ceiling and walls. There are pics. on their site, http://www.debno.diecezja.pl/indexang.htm . Happily the diocese (is that the right term for a Catholic church?) could not afford to repaint as years went by, the result being we are looking at the original painting. There are some 77 patterns, including Persian and Chinese. This church is a pearl amongst many richer, repainted churches. Research is going on into the properties of such long lasting paint. The English language leaflet asks for funds and ends with: May God requite you!

Then to rafting on the Dunacja river, http://www.flisacy.com.pl/page,1. Was lovely, but instead of 1 and a bit hours, it was 2 and a half. The drought affects the length of river trips, shallow water means go very slow. The temp was over 35C. and my bum got very sore. That beer never tasted so good.

Dunacja river

Neighbours

We don’t know our neighbours. The Polish can be very friendly, but like any one else, they can also keep to themselves. As Stefan was growing up all the neighbouring children played together in the various yards, but in time his neighbours moved, to left and right, and another generation bought the land. I can't say ‘they moved in’. That is not the style here, you buy a piece of land, and build! Since we have a second floor with a terrace I took these pictures from there.

Neighbours to the left, on higher land than us. We had to reinforce the dividing wall all along to avoid collapse.

Neighbours, in the distance, to our right. That is our quince tree, and the caravan that slept us at the beginning and then the Ukrainian builders. The shed has yet to be 'tidied'.

Peter and Teddington

Many years ago husband no. 1, Peter Binnington, and I raised our two boys in Teddington, W. London. During that time we ran a workshop (for the U.S., that means had a shop, not a retail outlet) restoring antique furniture. I learned to gild, on clients’ pieces of course, first on wood, then on glass. Replacing broken old panels taught me the techniques. This was my patch as Peter undertook everything else. When I took off for San Francisco, Peter carried on the business and continued with the glass jobs that came in.

I am not working anymore so I send any work that comes in to Peter. An email enquired if I was interested in a certain job. As usual I passed it along. After months of uncertainty the work is finally going ahead. The work involves replacing many panels from a stately home, very close to our old home, which is sadly long gone. Peter now finds himself staying at the Holiday Inn, Teddington, while he assesses the work to be done. Full circle.

These panels are tiny, the figures are only 1,1/4 inches tall.

A Charlotte Boyle drew these 60-odd panels, with help of her friends and with her mother, was responsible for much of the interior design of the house. One panel is signed by her, November 1786. The designs are taken from Herculaneum. Many of the panels are broken and need to be replaced.

Stefan and the pram