3D Woodcuts

Northcountry

Northtown

I'm fascinated by the effect of a single or series of folds on a piece of paper or card. It sounds simple, and it is, yet everything is changed. Something flat is made 3D, it can stand up and become sculptural. Once I applied this simple action to my printed townscape 'Northtown' the potential for experiment and play seemed endless, tapping into a long held desire to explore the world of mini dioramas

For me the barrier has always been the problem of display and framing. A lot of framers look askance when you ask about deep box frames with narrow edges which is the look I prefer. Most box frames I've seen are not deep enough and are also very clunky. I have seen some lovely ones on-line but they are ridiculously expensive and not the right dimensions.

So I asked my woodworker friend George Parker to make me something and these are the results. We based the design on some discontinued box frames from Ikea. They are accessed via the front as the glass slides up and down a routed groove.  The worst aspect is that I have to manually polish the edges of the glass as my local supplier won't/can't polish 3mm glass.

Polishing the edges is a real pain involving expensive diamond pads, sheets of felt, adhesive backed vinyl and a board balanced under a flowing tap - aaargh! My first attempt at dry sanding was a fine disaster, ruining a sheet of glass by getting hairlike scratches all over it, which is why I've gone with the wet sanding process.

I will make good use of the 8 boxes George has made me but I'm thinking there has to be an easier way?