Page 18 - BSAM 2018 Q4

Top left; Ficus benjamina,
65 cm. This restored pot is an example of both joinery and filling of voids. Massimo Bandera collection.
Top right; This Yama maple photographed in summer, is another example of joinery, this time in silver. Massimo Bandera collection.
Middle; This plate with a fish motif was decorated with a freehand drawing in lacquer which was then gilded in gold.
After the one-to-three-month rest period, the object is polished with silk batting to give the mended seam of lacquer and metal, a surface that can withstand abrasion and discoloration, as well as, extend the life of the object.
The kintsugi process can also be used to repair voids in the object where the original shards are not available, such as a lip or rim. While the process is similar to the basic method, the lacquer is applied one layer at a time, with sufficient drying time in between, until the void is filled. Then the excess abraded away, the object is cleaned, and the colored lacquer and metallic finish are applied as described in the basic method.
Cracks and fissures that occur during the firing process are first filled in with transparent lacquer before they are painted with colored lacquer, after which the metallic finish is added.
Kintsugi is also used for decorative applications where the lacquer is applied with stencils or painted in freehand. The decoration can be flat or in relief. While the lacquer is tacky, the metallic finish is applied, rubbed in, excess removed, and after a period of rest, the object is polished as before.
While there are many variations to the mending process due to regional and artistic differences, the three basic concepts are: kintsugi - golden joinery; tomotsugi - original patches; and, yobitsugi - borrowed patches.
Kintsugi process can be used to repair any type of damage. Tomotsugi is reserved for restoration where the original fragments are usable. Yobitsugi serves artists who deliberately wish to insert foreign parts to accomplish an artistic goal.
A logical extension of this process, are the artists who deliberately break objects only to resemble them as creatively altered objects.
16 | BCI | October/November/December 2018
The Traditional Method
The shards or pieces of a broken object are assembled and glued with adhesive lacquer and allowed to dry.
After one to three months of rest, the excess lacquer along the cracks is removed by scouring with charcoal. The object is then cleaned and ready for the application of the colored lacquer along the cracks that are now smooth to the touch.
In some cases, the colored lacquer is the final step, but in the kintsugi process, the lacquer forms the base on which the metallic finishes are added, either sprinkled with powdered metals or brushed with gold-leaf or silver-leaf. Red lacquer is often the base for gold, black lacquer is the base for silver. The finishes are added while the lacquer is still tacky and may require several applications. The metallic finishes are gently rubbed onto the lacquer with a soft brush or cotton ball. Excess powder is wiped off with a brush.