Painting on a metal surface.

I wanted to use a metallic surface and copper is one of my favorite metals because of its glorious warm glow.

In this video, Scott M Fischer explains how he uses the process of engraving and painting on a copper. he is enthusiastic and passionate about the unique properties of this unusual support. He mentions how it has been used historically too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_R9DNvHd_I

Artists who used copper supports.

I was surprised to discover that European artists in the 16th and 17th centuries created small-scale paintings on copper. Italian, Dutch and Flemish artists all embraced copper as a support. But why? It was smooth and they could achieve fine detail easily, it was durable and does not rot or get eaten by insects.

Both the below images are created with fine detail and have an underlying warmth.

Figure 1

Figure 2

John Worthington is a contemporary artist who uses copper and aluminum as supports.

When I look as his work it has energy, texture, realism and random sweeping gestural marks. The windswept visible strokes cause tension and intrigue alongside a realistic figure or landscape. Your eye dances around the impasto, diluted and exposed copper areas finding more layers of varied tensions.

In Out of the blue the two photorealistic swans appear to glide elegantly across the water from a tumultuous distant landscape, have they evaded a storm? They have hooked shadows reflected on the illusion of water. In the back and foregrounds there are swirls, drips, blends and bleeds of paint which I like very much. The piece creates an emotional tie between the two swans and they capture your interest as you eventually try to discover where they have emerged from. A warm orange glow in the distance is possibly the sun trying to break through the rain and storms. A dramatic atmosphere with a calm serene balance created by two tranquil swans moving slowly towards you. I need to apply this balance of styles of painting as I like the outcome and I can feel a connection with the freedom of his serendipitous approach with mark making i.e. textures and drips.

Figure 3

Because I have chosen to paint my scissors collection for this exercise, Jim Dine's

Ten Winter Tools immediately sprang to mind. I had researched Dine in a previous course. His collection of tools are lithographs of light and shadow producing striking textured images. Dine believes that a tool provides a connection to, or with, our past. By using our hands they are a symbol of artistic creation. Dine's family also owned a hardware store in Cincinnati. Ordinary objects of daily life painted on canvas are they are reminiscent of Abstract Expressionism (probably why I like them).

I need to be aware of shadow and light for my painting and use the copper support to enhance the metallic nature of the subject.

The scissors collection have no meaning or narrative as such I thought.

I started to research the significance of scissors in art and Google says;

On one hand, scissors can represent a severing or separation of life, but they can also signify spiritual unity and physical closeness. Repeated scissor imagery suggests the concept of paring away the non-essential elements of our existence.

Maybe Lockdown has made us all reevaluate our existence and what is essential?

Scissors

• Copper metal support 30cm x 42cm

• Umber and fluorescent blue acrylic

• Teal and white acrylic ink

• Small blade and tweezers to scratch the surface

• Drawing gum to mask the surface

• Various sized synthetic brushes.

• Baby wipe to remove and smear media

I made a couple of loose sketches in my sketch book- diluted Artgraf and the other in charcoal.

I wanted to create areas with exposed copper. How could I achieve this an still be loose and gestural with my mark making?

I had used drawing gum to cover areas on a paper support could I achieve the same result with copper. there was only one way to find out!

I took inspiration from Scott M Fischer and used a small pointed blade I had in my art tool box to scrape and etch the surface with lines and gestural scratches. I wanted to achieve a depth by the appearance of the scissors being enclosed in a box.

Process images

The below image is the stage where I reflected and concluded that I needed to use some diluted blocks of pale blue/teal paint to add dark and light shadow for interest and depth.

I have uploaded various images of this piece as it seems quite challenging to photograph the light catching the copper reflective surface. It's quite mesmerizing.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/1513f3_06f1e353da184c68a95a603d5040c766/480p/mp4/file.mp4

Cutting Edge

Mixed media on copper plate 30cm x 42cm

Advantages

• The support is hard and the paint is not absorbed.

• Thin applications or layers of paint appear more vibrant and intense.

• Copper is durable, even more so than wood or canvas.

• Paintings on copper are usually far better preserved than other supports.

• You can scratch/etch into the surface with a variety of tools.

• The glow from the support catches the light and brings the painting alive.

• The painting looks luminous.

Disadvantages

• Once you have engraved into the copper you can't turn back.

• The colour of the support has a huge effect on the painting.

• Copper can show signs of oxidation (exposed it to air and humidity)

• Unexposed areas need a varnish application to seal the exposed copper and protect from oxidation. This could be seen as a disadvantage if your composition favours a matt finish.

Result

The colour combination works teal/copper/pale lemon/white. I have achieved a muted tone in the shadowed areas. The light bounces around the copper plate and causes many areas of interest, are there too many though?

The scratches and random textured markings in amongst the layered blade chaos, together which the sense of slight depth cardboard box make the piece seem to me have a slightly Cubist feel. The triangles and circles although not pronounced are present in the work. The focal area for me, the pivot screw on the white handled scissors and the most detail on the actual blades, means that like John Worthington I have an area, that is more realistic than the other parts of the composition.

Could I be more random with my mark making in the other areas?

Could I add a bright pink fine line somewhere in a glossy medium to add a contemporary feel?

There are lots of painterly qualities that I like in this piece. Muted layers, etched and scratched through paint, exposed areas of copper and luminosity.

References

Figure 1 Brill, P. (1600) File:View of the Forum Romanum with the Columns of the Castor and Pollux Temples and the Hadrian Basilica, by Paul Bril.jpg. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_the_Forum_Romanum_with_the_Columns_of_the_Castor_and_Pollux_Temples_and_the_Hadrian_Basilica,_by_Paul_Bril.jpg (Accessed: April 2021).

Figure 2(ii), A. B. (1628-1645) Dead Frog with Flies. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Image_of_the_painting_Dead_Frog_with_Flies.jpg (Accessed: April 2021).

Figure 3 Worthington, J. (no date) Out of the blue. Available at: http://johnworthingtonstudio.com/v2ub40204fo9bwbke13vhc1vcfuq3z (Accessed: May 2021).