The Making

The
Process

Every piece made at The Black Foundry follows the same five stages. The process does not vary. It does not accelerate to meet demand. It does not take shortcuts when the deadline is close. Understanding the process is understanding what you are buying.

Minimum Time Per Piece 14 weeks
Minimum Hours of Craftsmanship 72 hours
Pieces Made Per Quarter 4 — 6
Resin Cure Layers 4 pours
Scroll to read the full process
I The Object
The Object

"The object is not decoration. It is the reason the piece exists."

Every piece at The Black Foundry begins with a real object. Not a photograph of one. Not a reproduction. The actual thing. A lathe chip from a first production run. A watch calibre from a movement that measured someone's most important minutes. Soil from land that changed hands. A gear that was once inside something that mattered.

The object is sourced first. Before a canvas is stretched. Before a brush is cleaned. Before a single mark is made. We do not design a painting and then find an object to fit inside it. The object arrives, and the painting begins to form around it, on its own terms.

Provenance is documented at this stage. Where the object came from. What it was part of. Who handled it last. This documentation becomes part of the piece's permanent record and travels with it to its first owner and every owner thereafter.

What This Means For You

If you are commissioning a piece with your own object — a component from your factory, a watch from your collection, soil from your land — you send it to us at this stage. We photograph it, document it, and confirm it is ready to be embedded before any work begins.

What Happens in This Stage
Object AcquisitionIndustrial sourcing, personal submission, or archive retrieval depending on the piece
PhotographyHigh-resolution documentation of the object before any work begins
Provenance RecordOrigin, history, and chain of custody formally documented
Object AssessmentStructural suitability for embedding confirmed by the maker
Client ConfirmationFor commissioned pieces, the client approves the object before Stage II begins
Typical Duration 1 — 3 weeks Longer for rare or custom-sourced objects

"We have turned away objects that were wrong for the piece. We have waited months for the right one to arrive. The object is not a prop. It is the point."

The Black Foundry · On Sourcing
II The Study
The Study

"A piece made without understanding the object is decoration. We do not make decoration."

Before the first mark is made on canvas, the maker spends time with the object. This is not administrative. It is not research in the academic sense. It is the kind of sustained attention that allows something's character to reveal itself.

What does this object feel like in the hand? What does its weight suggest? What kind of light does it catch? What does it smell like? What sounds did it live near? What did it do, exactly, and for how long, and for whom?

The answers to these questions shape the painting. The light in the scene, the scale, the colour, the mood, the moment frozen — all of it is determined by what the object reveals during this stage. This is why two pieces made around similar objects can feel entirely different. The object has been listened to differently.

This stage has no fixed duration. It ends when the maker is ready, not when a deadline arrives.

What This Means For You

If you have told us the story behind your object — what it meant, where it was, who used it — that story is read and reread during this stage. The piece is shaped by everything you have shared.

What Happens in This Stage
Physical StudyThe maker works with the object directly. No intermediaries.
Story IntegrationClient background and object history are absorbed into the compositional thinking
Composition SketchesRough spatial ideas developed on paper, never digitally
Colour DecisionsPalette selected based on the object's materiality and the story it holds
Scale DeterminationFinal dimensions of the piece decided relative to the object's presence
Typical Duration 1 — 4 weeks No fixed end point. Ends when the work is ready to begin.

"The most important conversations in The Black Foundry happen before a single stroke of paint has been applied."

The Black Foundry · On Preparation
III The Painting
The Painting

"Oil paint on linen, layer by layer, over weeks. There is no faster way to do this correctly."

The canvas is built by hand — linen stretched over solid timber, primed in the traditional manner. The painting is executed in oils, worked in layers. Each layer must dry before the next can be applied. This is not a stylistic preference. It is how oil paint works. It cannot be rushed.

The object is embedded during the painting process, not placed on top of it at the end. It is worked into the composition as the layers build, so that the paint exists around it, under it, and to its edges. The object and the painting become a single thing. There is no seam between them.

24K gold leaf, where used, is applied by hand to specific areas of the composition. The decision about where gold belongs is made during the painting stage, not planned in advance. It responds to where the light in the scene wants to be strongest.

The painting is complete when the maker decides it is complete. No client previews during this stage. The piece is not shown until it is finished.

What This Means For You

You will not receive progress photographs during this stage. The piece will be shown to you in its finished state. This is not withholding. It is the only honest way to see a painting — whole, and complete, as it was intended.

What Happens in This Stage
Canvas ConstructionHand-stretched linen on solid timber. Traditionally primed.
Oil PaintingMinimum 6 layers over 6 weeks. Each layer dried completely before the next.
Object EmbeddingThe real object integrated during the painting process, not placed after
Gold Leaf Application24K gold leaf applied by hand where the composition calls for it
Maker ReviewThe piece is assessed over several days before it is declared complete
Typical Duration 6 — 10 weeks Longest stage. Cannot be shortened.

"The gold is not applied for effect. It is applied where the scene demands it. Sometimes that is one square centimetre. Sometimes it is the entire sky."

The Black Foundry · On Gold Leaf
IV The Sealing
The Sealing

"Museum resin poured in four layers. What enters it does not leave."

Once the painting is complete and fully cured, museum-grade epoxy resin is prepared and poured. This is not varnish. It is not a protective coat applied on top of the surface. It is a material that, once set, becomes permanently bonded to everything beneath it.

The resin is poured in four layers. Each layer is applied at a specific thickness, cured completely under controlled temperature and humidity conditions, and inspected before the next layer begins. Bubbles are removed by hand between pours. The final surface is optically clear.

The embedded object is now encased. It cannot be removed without destroying the painting. It will not corrode, oxidise, or degrade inside the resin. It is, in the most literal sense, preserved permanently. A lathe chip inside a sealed piece will look identical in 200 years as it does today.

UV inhibitors are included in the resin formulation, protecting both the painting and the embedded object from light degradation over time.

What This Means For You

The piece you receive requires no special storage conditions beyond keeping it out of prolonged direct sunlight. No conservation treatment. No re-varnishing. The resin does that work permanently.

What Happens in This Stage
Surface PreparationPainting inspected and prepared. Any final details resolved before sealing.
Pour OneBase layer. Encases the embedded object completely.
Pours Two and ThreeBuild depth. Each cured for 48 hours minimum under temperature control.
Final PourSurface layer. Polished to optical clarity after curing.
Quality InspectionThe sealed surface examined under raking light before approval.
Typical Duration 10 — 14 days Cannot be accelerated. Cure time is fixed by chemistry.

"Once the final pour is set, the piece is done. Not finished in the way that paintings are usually finished. Done. Nothing can be added. Nothing can be removed. It is what it is, permanently."

The Black Foundry · On Permanence
V The Record
The Record

"The piece is finished. The record of it is permanent."

Before a piece leaves the studio, it is recorded. A brass provenance plate is hand-engraved with the piece name, the collection it belongs to, the year of making, and the name of the first owner. This plate is fixed to the frame permanently.

The piece is then photographed under controlled studio lighting multiple angles, macro detail of the embedded object, full-face documentation. These photographs are entered into The Black Foundry archive alongside the provenance documentation compiled during Stage I.

The first owner receives a printed provenance document on cotton-rag paper, hand-signed by the maker. This document describes the piece, the object inside it, its origin, and the story the piece was made to hold. It travels with the piece and transfers with ownership.

The piece is then packaged for delivery. Solid timber crate, foam-inset, white-glove handling to the delivery address. The piece arrives ready to hang.

What This Means For You

Your name is the first name in the archive for this piece. That record does not change. Whoever owns the piece after you will know who owned it first. The piece carries your name into the future with it.

What Happens in This Stage
Provenance PlateHand-engraved brass. Piece name, collection, year, first owner.
Studio PhotographyFull documentation under controlled light. Archived permanently.
Provenance DocumentCotton-rag paper. Hand-signed by the maker. Travels with the piece.
Archive EntryThe piece and its full record entered into The Black Foundry permanent archive.
DeliverySolid timber crate. White-glove delivery. Ready to hang on arrival.
Typical Duration 3 — 5 days Plus delivery time depending on location.
14+ Weeks minimum
per piece
72+ Hours of
craftsmanship
4 Resin pours
per piece
1/1 Every piece
singular
∞ Archive record
permanent
What Goes Into a Piece

Materials & Standards

Every material used in a Black Foundry piece is selected for longevity, not cost. The objective is a piece that looks identical in a century as it does today.

01
Belgian Linen

Museum-grade Belgian linen, hand-stretched over solid seasoned timber. The most stable canvas substrate available. Used in institutional collections worldwide.

Archival · pH Neutral · Pre-Shrunk
02
Artists' Oil Paint

Professional-grade oil paint with high pigment load and no fillers. The same materials used by painters whose work now hangs in the collections we aspire to sit beside.

Lightfast Rating I · Artists' Grade Only
03
24K Gold Leaf

Pure 24-karat gold leaf, applied by hand using traditional gilding techniques. Gold at this purity does not tarnish, oxidise, or change over centuries.

99.9% Pure · Traditional Application
04
Museum Epoxy Resin

Two-part museum-grade epoxy formulated for archival use. UV inhibitors included. Optically clear when cured. Bonds permanently to the canvas and embedded object. Does not yellow over time.

UV-Inhibited · Archival Grade · Optically Clear
05
Solid Hardwood Frame

Frames built from solid walnut or specified hardwood — never MDF, never veneer. Jointed at the corners, not stapled. The frame is structural and archival, not cosmetic.

Solid Timber · Hand-Joined · Sealed
06
The Real Object

The embedded object is the only material whose specification cannot be standardised. It is whatever it needs to be. What can be guaranteed is that it is real, documented, and permanent.

Verified · Documented · Embedded Permanently
The Record That Travels With the Piece

Your Provenance Document

Every piece leaves the studio with a provenance document. This is not a certificate of authenticity in the commercial sense. It is a permanent record of what the piece is, what it contains, who made it and who first owned it.

It is printed on cotton-rag paper — the same material used for banknotes and significant legal documents because it lasts centuries without degrading. It is hand-signed by the maker. It travels with the piece and transfers with ownership.

Your name on this document is the beginning of a record that follows the piece wherever it goes.

Certificate of Provenance The Black Foundry · India · MMXXV
Piece Name The First Run
Collection The Forge · Collection I
Embedded Object Production lathe chip · First run · Industrial steel
Object Origin Documented and verified at source
Year of Making MMXXV
Edition 1 of 1 · Never to be repeated
First Owner Your name here
◆ Hand-signed by the maker
Cotton-rag paper · Archival ink
The Black Foundry Archive · Entry confirmed
◆

Begin the Process

The process starts with a conversation. Tell us what you are thinking, what object you might bring, which collection speaks to you. We respond within 24 hours and we read everything you send.

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