Martin Pierce
Encyclopedia
Martin Pierce is a furniture and hardware designer born in Worcester
, England, and now residing in Los Angeles
, California. He has lived in Los Angeles since 1980 and has over this period developed several unique styles of furniture, which include his signature Hedgerow dining chair and Hedgerow bed. The other furniture styles include the Ascot and Seicho lines and many of these pieces are japanned, or gilded, with vines and aspen trees and are part of a limited edition that is both numbered and signed.
In 2004, Martin Pierce began work on an extensive range of cabinet and door hardware which includes the Willow, Ergo, Netsuke and Hedgerow styles. These collections are all cast using the lost wax casting
method and are cast primarily in silicon bronze although the Ergo and Morphic styles are cast in 316 stainless steel.
. In England in the 17th and 18th century, japanning became very popular and it was used extensively to decorate furniture with raised scenes of birds, flowers and pagodas. At that time, a type of glue called sizing
and whitening were applied in successive layers onto a wood surface, which was then blackened or colored before being varnished and polished. Designs were then traced onto the prepared background, and they were then either decorated by color or they were decorated with gold. These artisans would add further interest to these scenes by making the decorated areas raised and they did this by applying a thick compound of sawdust, whitening and gum Arabic.
Martin Pierce has borrowed much from the technique of japanning and the style of Chinoiserie
but he brought them into a modern context, substituting easier mediums for the traditional varnish, size and gum Arabic. Since Martin Pierce creates his designs over a beautiful background of walnut or English brown oak wood, he does not blacken or hide the wood. Martin likes the raised textural nature of japanning, but he substitutes casein
, which is a white paste made from milk by-products for its 17th century cousin. Casein
is easily applied either as a thick coat with a hand trowel or for delicate thin leaf stems with a fine brush. Casein
has the advantage of drying quickly and affords a soft enough surface that can be sanded smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. Martin applies successive coats of casein till the design is sufficiently raised and then he seals it with a water based lacquer.
In traditional gilding
, the gilder applies his gold over a surface of firm clay, and this gives him a solid surface that he can burnish and thereby make the gold very bright and brassy. Martin Pierce omits this step, as he feels the gold and silver are sufficiently iridescent and because he wants a more muted appearance. He also substitutes a modern product called wonder size for the traditional gold size, as he prefers its cold application and controllability. Once the size is dry, he carefully applies the wafer thin gold which he presses down into place and carefully rubs with fine wax paper.
Now the real art work begins, as he applies different colored glazes over the gold scene. The glaze is made from a mixture of oil paint diluted with paint thinner, and the glazes vary in consistency depending on how much of the gold Martin wants to expose. Martin also uses water spotting to create a natural age to his leaves and stems, which dulls down their pristine appearance. Each of these pieces is signed, numbered, and dated and forms part of a limited edition available through Martin Pierce, or through a design professional.
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, England, and now residing in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California. He has lived in Los Angeles since 1980 and has over this period developed several unique styles of furniture, which include his signature Hedgerow dining chair and Hedgerow bed. The other furniture styles include the Ascot and Seicho lines and many of these pieces are japanned, or gilded, with vines and aspen trees and are part of a limited edition that is both numbered and signed.
In 2004, Martin Pierce began work on an extensive range of cabinet and door hardware which includes the Willow, Ergo, Netsuke and Hedgerow styles. These collections are all cast using the lost wax casting
Lost wax casting
Lost-wax casting sometimes called by the French name of cire perdue is the process by which a metal sculpture is cast from an artist's sculpture. Intricate works can be achieved by this method, primarily depending on the carver's skills...
method and are cast primarily in silicon bronze although the Ergo and Morphic styles are cast in 316 stainless steel.
Techniques
In the Ascot buffet, armoire and tallboy, Martin Pierce uses gold and silver leaf to create scenes that appear three dimensional. The technique he uses is one that combines aspects of japanning with gildingGilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
. In England in the 17th and 18th century, japanning became very popular and it was used extensively to decorate furniture with raised scenes of birds, flowers and pagodas. At that time, a type of glue called sizing
Sizing
Sizing or size is any one of numerous specific substances that is applied to or incorporated in other material, especially papers and textiles, to act as a protecting filler or glaze....
and whitening were applied in successive layers onto a wood surface, which was then blackened or colored before being varnished and polished. Designs were then traced onto the prepared background, and they were then either decorated by color or they were decorated with gold. These artisans would add further interest to these scenes by making the decorated areas raised and they did this by applying a thick compound of sawdust, whitening and gum Arabic.
Martin Pierce has borrowed much from the technique of japanning and the style of Chinoiserie
Chinoiserie
Chinoiserie, a French term, signifying "Chinese-esque", and pronounced ) refers to a recurring theme in European artistic styles since the seventeenth century, which reflect Chinese artistic influences...
but he brought them into a modern context, substituting easier mediums for the traditional varnish, size and gum Arabic. Since Martin Pierce creates his designs over a beautiful background of walnut or English brown oak wood, he does not blacken or hide the wood. Martin likes the raised textural nature of japanning, but he substitutes casein
Casein
Casein is the name for a family of related phosphoprotein proteins . These proteins are commonly found in mammalian milk, making up 80% of the proteins in cow milk and between 60% and 65% of the proteins in human milk....
, which is a white paste made from milk by-products for its 17th century cousin. Casein
Casein
Casein is the name for a family of related phosphoprotein proteins . These proteins are commonly found in mammalian milk, making up 80% of the proteins in cow milk and between 60% and 65% of the proteins in human milk....
is easily applied either as a thick coat with a hand trowel or for delicate thin leaf stems with a fine brush. Casein
Casein
Casein is the name for a family of related phosphoprotein proteins . These proteins are commonly found in mammalian milk, making up 80% of the proteins in cow milk and between 60% and 65% of the proteins in human milk....
has the advantage of drying quickly and affords a soft enough surface that can be sanded smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. Martin applies successive coats of casein till the design is sufficiently raised and then he seals it with a water based lacquer.
In traditional gilding
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
, the gilder applies his gold over a surface of firm clay, and this gives him a solid surface that he can burnish and thereby make the gold very bright and brassy. Martin Pierce omits this step, as he feels the gold and silver are sufficiently iridescent and because he wants a more muted appearance. He also substitutes a modern product called wonder size for the traditional gold size, as he prefers its cold application and controllability. Once the size is dry, he carefully applies the wafer thin gold which he presses down into place and carefully rubs with fine wax paper.
Now the real art work begins, as he applies different colored glazes over the gold scene. The glaze is made from a mixture of oil paint diluted with paint thinner, and the glazes vary in consistency depending on how much of the gold Martin wants to expose. Martin also uses water spotting to create a natural age to his leaves and stems, which dulls down their pristine appearance. Each of these pieces is signed, numbered, and dated and forms part of a limited edition available through Martin Pierce, or through a design professional.