Gold and Silver

I can’t pinpoint when it all began, this fondness for adding gold and silver to my work. It started with small amounts of metallic paint and morphed into full sheets of 24 carat gold leaf, edible. It’s that pure, but please do not lick the paintings. Mind you, I am equally enamored of silver.

Its ridiculously hard to photograph! So you may not notice the shine when I post on my website or on social media . I’ve tried to photograph a few of them at an angle, just to give you an idea. Again, I started small, just a bit here and there.

Applying metal leaf can be a tricky process; it’s so fine and lightweight that I practically hold my breath when handling it. One good sneeze and it’s dissolved into pieces on the other side of the room! It’s not hard to apply to an encaustic painting, no glue is required. Just warm up the wax surface, set the leaf where you want it to go, burnish, cool, polish.

It’s trickier with a traditional oil or acrylic painting, requiring a special glue, a steady hand, and a reliable sealant. One method is covering the surface totally with leaf and painting on top of it: or you can paint an image, and apply the leaf around it. (see Blue Peony photo)

Why do I love these metallics so? I think it’s the reflective quality, the light, the warmth, the richness on these gray winter days. It gives me a sense of hope and optimism!