Experimenting in the Studio – Gold Leaf
Gold Leafe with Hydrangeas
For whatever reason I seem to have a curiosity about gold leaf. I have several mirrors in our main house that have gold leaf frames and the dual mirrors from our master bath in our old house are silver leaf. I’m thinking this fascination might stem back to my mom as she had a mirror that she gold leafed in her home. Recently I visited Orbit Art Space gallery in Fruita and noticed a painting that incorporated silver leaf into the composition, it inspired me to experiment with this delicate medium in my own work.
When I was unpacking my art supplies last fall, I discovered I had several jars of gold, silver and copper leafing material. For my experiment, I am using a six-by-six plein air painting I did this past summer of a Hydrangea I had on our back patio. I’m not overly attached to the image so it’s a perfect painting to experiment with. To gold leaf something you need both a metal leaf adhesive and a sealer. I purchased both from Hobby Lobby. The brand is called Beacon and they come in 2 fl oz bottles.
Before I added the gold, I determined which areas I wanted to leaf. I chose all the sections I wasn’t fond of in the painting. Next, I made sure the surface area was clean and smooth before I applied the glue. Using an old paint brush, I applied the adhesive in an even coat. The instructions say to wait 30 – 60 minutes to allow the glue to become clear while still remaining tacky. While I waited, I stretched some canvases in preparation for two more paintings. Once my timer went off, I applied the gold leaf using tweezers and my fingers as the gold leaf is rather tricky to manage. For example, I’m going to need a lot more practice if I ever want to apply it in a straight line. With the gold leaf in place, I washed out my brush and waited for it to dry.
Next, I poured a small amount of the sealer into a ceramic container I had in the studio and applied it using a damp soft bristle brush. While this dried, I cleaned up both the brush and the container with soap and water.
With the gold leaf applied and sealed, I decided to rework the painting a bit, expanding the scale of the Hydrangea, adding some additional flowers and leaves and a hint of the pot they were in. This too was an experiment for me as I was working both from memory and my imagination; usually I work from a photo reference or from a live model (in this case a plant). I’m still trying to decide if I like the outcome… if I ultimately decide I do, then I’m thinking maybe I will do a flower series this summer that combines the gold leaf with paintings of flowers I grow in our market garden. It could be a great companion series to go with the Fifty Shades of Green I’m currently working on!
