Tosogu Restoration Special Offer

[Ford Hallam]

Greetings all.

 

I've run this by Brian so with his blassing (cheers Brian) I'd like to make the following announcement.

 

In July I will be joined in my studio, here in Torquay, England, for 8 weeks by up and coming boy wonder (he's shaved his beard off recently... ) , Marcus Chambers. Some of you will know his work, a recent triumph was his study utsushi of the well known Ebisu Daikoku tsuba by Murakami Jochiku. You can see this work and much more on his website here. Marcus is totally comitted to serious training and in time may actually join me on a permanent basis. This period togther is our first step in laying the foundations of a solid professional craft tradition outside of Japan.

 

We'll be working on a variety of projects while Marcus is with me but one area of expertise that may be useful for him and collectors back in the USA ( Marcus lives in Michigan) is that of restoration. As a way of gaining much needed experience in this complex field I'd like to be able have him work on a variety of antique pieces under my direction. Where necessary I will personally deal with certain issues but the idea would be to have Marcus do the bulk of the work as a way of studying the processes I use and to earn a living while doing it. He has a family to support. Work will only leave the studio once it's completed to my satisfaction. We will have to be somewhat selective in what we can accept to work on so please don't feel offended if we have to decline certain jobs.

 

So here's the deal. We're offering a 33% discount rate on work for the duration of the time Marcus is with me. I'll asses the usual cost as I would have to charge and then apply the discount. If you're in the UK or Europe you can send work directly to me in Torquay or if in North America you can send it to Marcus in Michigan before he travels here. That way we all avoid any customs hiccups too.

 

We may also be looking for a special commission. If you've been considering having something special made to order this may be a rare opportunity for you. We're looking for something exciting and challenging for Marcus to create while with me. You'll get a great piece of work at a very fair price and I'll be having my own input at each step of the way. We'd like to be able to consider certain utsushi or perhaps something original but copies of mediocre work will be too boring I'm afraid

 

If either of these offers are of interest to you please get in touch via my website, link in my signature line below.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Ford

 

 

[Stephen]

         

[marcus]

Hello All,

I would first like to say how honored I feel having the opportunity to study with Ford in his studio! It has been my goal secretly since I started doing this type of work to do so. We both are greatly excited to start the foundation for this type of traditional studio outside Japan! It will be an exciting time to be sure!

I hope some of you will take advantage of this rare opportunity, and give me an equally rare opportunity to study and bring back to their original glory, some of the fine works that I've have been seeing here for years! I plan on leaving for the UK by mid June, so if you want to avoid the customs hiccup as Ford suggested, please allow ample time make arrangements.

Here is some pics my study utsushi of the Ebisu Daikoku tsuba by Murakami Jochiku:

 

Again, please contact me by email: mcmetalarts@gmail.com

or, Ford as he instructed above.

Thank you for your interest in advance!

Cheers,

Marcus

[Stephen]

email sent

[Brian]

Stickied for a while to get some exposure.

 

Brian

[Jamie]

 

That's incredible Marcus!

Great work man.

[marcus]

Thanks for the sticky Brian! Thanks for the kind words Jamie☺️

Cheers,

Marcus

[Ford Hallam]

Just a quick update to thank those of you who supported Marcus' stay with me. He's been pretty busy here and I think will go home with a wealth of experience thanks to the various bits and pieces he's been able to work on.

 

Marcus returns to the USA on Monday coming (24 August), so our restoration offer is now concluded.

 

Thanks again for the support.

 

Ford

[Stephen]

guess the kurikata request didnt make the cut

[Ford Hallam]

Stephen, it might have had you discussed it with me...

[Stephen]

Yep my bad duly noted

[marcus]

Stephen,

I am terribly sorry that I missed sending the email to Ford.

I was in the middle of preparation when I got the news that I needed to to be present in Japan and that sort of took front and center in my radar. I would still be happy to discuss the project and give you the same pricing structure. If you could please email the images as the links I have in the old email are not working.

Again, I am sorry for my dropping the ball on this one.

Thanks,

Marcus

[Stephen]

Marcus, it is totally on me. I should have been the one to approach the teacher not the student. Ford at the time was doing something for me and i had become a pest, I did not want to become a bigger ass, and with out thinking i opened that can of worms again, best i just keep to my own little world of lunacy. if i find a image id be glad to go forward, not possible now,may be later.

[Ford Hallam]

no harm done, Stephen, we all have our lunacies.

[marcus]

Stephen,

Please do forward the images on. At some point in the future if you are in a position to have it done I would be happy to oblige.

Cheers,

Marcus

[Greg F]

Amazing work to say the least Ford and Marcus!

Greg