Leading British abstract artist Nat Bowen contacted us here at Ravens’ Way Metalworks during lockdown in June to ask if we could create a custom polished and etched frame and gallery plaque with a setting for a gemstone for one of her paintings. We were delighted to be asked to collaborate with her to bring her metal dream to life so we immediately accepted her request.
Secret codename
Little did we know just how special this picture frame and plaque would be until Nat revealed more about her ideas and requirements. It was then we realised that our frame and plaque would be part of the star of her current collection on display in a showcase of global arts at the Saatchi Gallery in London, one of the most famous art galleries in the world. Not only that, it was to be made from solid bronze, mirror polished, and the “gemstone” she had mentioned was a genuine natural black diamond weighing nearly 3 carats! As we’d agreed not to publicise anything about the metalwork until the unveiling of the painting we codenamed our secret mission “Project Black Diamond”.
Time-honoured metalworking skills
Fitting the bronze front plate to Nat Bowen’s “Black Diamond” gallery plaque
As Nat wanted the bronze frame and gallery plaque to add the finishing touches to such a prestigious piece of art into which she was investing all her years of experience and skills as an artist, we chose to only use traditional metalworking techniques for her project. This ensured that we were able to produce metalwork that embodied the finest qualities and best traditions of British craft and to create a unique frame and plaque that would beautifully and subtly complement her world-class artwork.
Nick squaring up the bronze plate for Nat Bowen’s “Black Diamond” gallery plaque on our 1960s Beavermill vertical mill
How we brought this metal dream to life
The 1/8 inch bronze sheet had been cut into 75mm strips on a guillotine so our first task was to make the rough edges parallel and polish them smooth. This was done by hand on our surface table. Once the strips were smooth and parallel we cut the mitres for the frames’ corners using a bandsaw and finished them by hand.
Hand finishing the mitred corners of the bronze gallery plaque box sides for Nat Bowen’s “Black Diamond” artwork
We then squared up the plate for the gallery plaque on our 1960s Beavermill vertical mill. Once the plate was square we worked with a resin replica of the black diamond to guide us in creating the shape for the gemstone mounting which we carried out by hand using needle files to achieve a perfect fit.
Needle filing the setting for the black diamond in Nat Bowen’s bronze gallery plaque front plate
The last stages were etching and polishing. We used traditional acid etching to add Nat’s famous logo to the frame and her chosen wording to the gallery plaque. This gives a fine textured surface to the etched letters without the lines characteristic of modern laser etching. Once the etching was complete we then hand polished every surface and edge of all the bronze pieces through multiple stages to a glowing mirror finish.
Part of the bronze frame showing the traditionally etched Nat Bowen logo
Safety first during lockdown – and sustainable too
We were able to work remotely from our base near Caernarfon with Nat in London for the entirety of the project thanks to our investment in superfast broadband and our use of online messaging services. Over the summer and autumn we prototyped the various aspects of the project and sent Nat videos and photos of every step so she could see progress and direct operations. Once she was completely happy with our work we made the final pieces of bronze that she would use for the frame and plaque and shipped them by secure overnight courier.
This worked perfectly for Nat as she was able to stay safe during lockdown with the added bonus of saving the time, costs and environmental impacts of travelling to see us in Snowdonia while still being able to complete her project in time for the launch of “Black Diamond” and her show at the Saatchi Gallery this week.
“It’s perfect!”
Completed bronze gallery plaque etched with “Nat Bowen Black Diamond 2020” and setting for the diamond below reflecting the evening sun and the Llyn Peninsula (tap for a larger picture)
In a message to Jo and Nick after receiving the bronze frame and plaque Nat expressed how thrilled she was with the quality of our work:
“It’s perfect! So happy!! You’ve done such an amazing job, thank you so much. You couldn’t have done better.”
– Nat Bowen
Here at Ravens’ Way Metalworks if our customers are happy we’re happy, so we’re only too delighted that Nat is delighted with the frame and plaque we made for her. We’re also extremely proud she chose us to complete her project, and that our custom metalwork is on display as part of ‘Black Diamond’ as the centrepiece of her “Back to Light” collection in the Saatchi Gallery.
Otherworldly
Described by the London Evening Standard as “Otherwordly”, Nat Bowen’s spectacular and unique “Black Diamond” artwork is the stunning star of her “Back to Light” collection. “Black Diamond” and “Back to Light” has now been unveiled to the world in the iconic Saatchi Gallery in START2020, the Gallery’s leading edge contemporary art fair that showcases emerging global talent in painting, photography, sculpture and creation for collectors, buyers, critics and enthusiasts to discover.
The making of “Black Diamond”
“Otherworldy” is the perfect description for “Black Diamond” as it is made from 4.5 billion year old meteorite dust, amorphous carbon and graphite powder set in 100 layers of resin to represent the facets of a diamond, and with 1000 carats of crushed genuine natural black diamonds at it’s heart. It is framed in our solid bronze custom frame and it will be on display with its accompanying 2.86 carat natural black diamond set into the bronze gallery plaque we created to hold it.
Artist Nat Bowen with “Black Diamond”, the centrepiece of her 2020 collection “Back to Light” at the Saatchi Gallery. Image courtesy Nat Bowen
Nat made “Black Diamond” during lockdown alongside many of the other pieces in her “Back to Light” collection inspired by Europe’s first emergence from lockdown and ‘back to light’ again. For her the artworks express the spectrum of emotions felt during the pandemic. “Black Diamond”, the centrepiece of her collection, shows how dark colours can be used in a positive way.
International acclaim
Hailed as one of the world’s leading contemporary artists, Nat Bowen’s artworks are in private collections across the globe. She has also exhibited her unique pieces in international shows in Miami, New York, Hong Kong, Hamburg, Chicago and San Francisco.
Already featured in Vanity Fair, the Evening Standard, A.London, and The London Economic, Nat Bowen’s “Black Diamond” artwork along with Ravens’ Way Metalworks’ custom bronze creations are on show in her “Back to Light” collection at the Saatchi Gallery’s START2020 fair which opens today in London.
What’s your metal dream?
Do you have an idea for a piece of metalwork but can’t find the right metalworkers? Our friendly team specialises in unique and custom projects so we’d love to hear from you. Together we can bring YOUR metal dream to life so get in touch and lets get to work!