Studio: international art (3.1894)

Stencilling as an Art

able to give us. It would be indeed strange if, as must certainly award Mr. Heron's work a very

these masterpieces became known, they did not high rank indeed. He has produced an intricate

arouse some emulation on the part of our young design, thoroughly suited to both the material and

artists ; and, as a matter of fact, there are already its ultimate use, planned from the first with all

strong evidences of a revived interest in the better the limitations in view to which stencil-cutting is

class of stencilled decorations. Among those who subject; and yet showing absolutely no signs of

may be said to have quite grasped the essentials stiffness, loss of freedom, or any other restrictive

of the art, is Mr. Francis Heron, a young artist, influence. The cutting is true and direct, and

whose work secured a gold medal in the National the colour good and judiciously varied. Another

Competition of 1893, and also attracted some work from his knife, if we may use the expression,

very varied criticism at the last Arts and Crafts is a dado to be executed in red on gold leather.

Exhibition. The most important of Mr. Heron's This pattern is evidently due to Japanese influence,

\ 5 FROM A STENCIL-PLATE BY FRANCIS HERON

designs yet exhibited is a sackcloth stencilled and is best where that has been most closely

with a pattern of conventional poppies in blue ; followed ; but the stencilling has nothing in com-

and a dado with a richer treatment of the same mon therewith, and is quite Mr. Heron's own. In

flower in three colours. So far as the mere this work, we can again point to a freedom from

design of this hanging is concerned, it would the crude and offensive breaks in the pattern which

perhaps have attracted little attention, being equal, have hitherto seemed necessary to the European

but by no means superior, to the level attained by stenciller. It may now at last begin to dawn upon

many of the decorative artists of the present day. workers in this craft, that since such are indispens-

The balance and distribution of ornament is satis- able to the strength of the plate, they may as well

factory, and the dado shows both good construe- be utilised in the design, and provided for from

tion and originality; qualities which are not the first.

invariably found together. But as a stencil, we Another very promising stenciller is Mr. A.