This is a very exciting time for me and this crazy discipline of mountmaking as there’s so much going on.

Three weeks ago we hosted an amazing workshop with a group of very experienced mountmakers and conservators from Victoria and Vancouver BC, Fort Worth TX, and Minneapolis MN. The combined experience made it an incredibly collaborative and inventive session. I truly feel that the term workshop applied because it was far beyond anything that I would call a class. It was so much fun to work together and we all learned so much from each other.

I’m now sitting back and trying to absorb all the information and contacts I made at the 6^thInternational Mountmaking Forum that happened last Tuesday through Thursday at the Natural History Museum in London. I presented a paper on my role in the restoration and mounting of a 16^thC. Mughal India Jali (Carved sandstone window lattice). I felt the reception was very good, especially considering I was following an amazing presentation on the re-mounting of a Blue Whale skeleton by the Natural History Museum and another fine talk. The entire conference was a parade of great work and amazing ideas from all over the globe. It was so exciting to be a part of the international discussion of mountmaking and the conservation of worldwide cultural patrimony.

In three weeks I’ll be at West Dean College in Chichester UK to teach a 3 ½ day mountmaking workshop. West Dean is a world renowned conservation institution and I feel so honored to have been asked to teach there. I’m thankful to have enough lead time to continue to hone my presentations and exercises as this will be the largest class I’ve taught. The result is that giddy mix of excitement and terror the comes with moving into territory where you know you may either fly or fall on your face. I’m going to give it my best shot in the hope that I’ll be able to do it again sometime.

Finally, I want to announce a couple of workshops coming up in the next months. The first will be December 4^th-7^th, and the next will be January 14^th-17^th. Details are on the Mountmakingfocus.com website. I’ve been listing my workshops as Fundamentals of Mountmaking and am realizing that this has put off more experienced mountmakers from attending. This last workshop of seasoned professionals brought home how important it is to share our knowledge and the methods that each of us has developed. With this in mind, the first workshop will cover fundamentals as part of the conservation focus and development of problem solving skills, as well as work to stretch those skills by building mounts for widely varied objects. Registration details here.

The second workshop will be an advanced workshop as has been requested by many experienced mountmakers. This workshop will be limited to four participants and the curriculum will be developed in response to what the group requests. Details here.

In all our workshops, group discussion and the sharing of methods are highly encouraged as I feel this is essential to broadening our knowledge and perspective on this amazing art. I look forward to the skills and insights each participant brings to the workshop as this synergy is how the mount shop works best. I look forward to hearing from each of you.

More later,

Jamie