This is going to be a great week. I’m on sabbatical! After spending week after week, month after month for so long working on my books, art videos, and other projects I consider part of my “work,” it suddenly occurred to me that I might be due for a sabbatical.
Then, when I happened upon an art instruction video by Maria Grossbaum on working with metallic paints, my mind was made up. I would take a week-long sabbatical and immerse myself in working with metallic supplies of all sorts. And this is the week!
Here I am, mostly through my first project – a hare icon. I painted the hare for another purpose and intentionally painted her on a simple background so that I could continue the piece later and take it in whatever direction I wanted.
I’m having so much for with this. So far, the metallics I’m using are these: Pebeo metallic relief outliners, Golden fluid acrylics in metallic and interference colors, Daniel Smith metallic, interference, and duochrome acrylics (which they sadly no longer make), and my favorite of all—gold foil from chocolate candies, in this case, Lindt Easter bunnies!
The medallion at the top is paper clay from a mold I made from the design on the bottom of a glass. I made the molded piece (and the mold) a few years ago, and it's just been sitting around waiting for its day in the sun ever since. Well, today is the day!
It's likely that I’ll also use flatback crystals and/or pearls, but my stash is getting low and with every one I use, the ones I have left become more precious. It’s sooo sad that Swarovski stopped selling to the general public. Back in October, 2020, they decided to rebrand into a higher-end image and as part of that, stopped selling their crystals to us lowly crafters. Surely they would up their brand by leaving all of us out in the cold! (Can you tell I'm bitter?)
I’ll be making more pieces this week, hopefully at least two more. But I’m not sure yet what metallic supplies I’ll use. I have a lot of odds and ends of old, patina’d metal pieces. And, in the past, I’ve worked with tooled metal foil, which is lots of fun. Unfortunately, the only metal foil I can find among my supplies is a roll of copper which might be a little thick. I used to have many more selections, but I just can’t find them. I searched Amazon and DickBlick, but was shocked at how the prices are compared to when I originally bought mine. Yikes! So, I’ll probably just try the copper I already have.
I’m more energized about my current project than I have been in quite a while. I thinking that what I do this week will not only be fun, but that it will turn out freshening my art. So, although the week has barely begun and the jury's still out, I highly recommend taking a sabbatical of your own and focusing on something that’s been intriguing you.
Can’t wait to get back to you next week and show you what I’ve created in this burst of excitement.
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