Copper as Canvas I

Copper Sky

A couple of years ago, I experimented with painting on pennies and at the time I produced thirty-five tiny images directly on the shiny copper surface.  Recently I revived my interest in painting on copper and started to explore the larger scale use of copper as a painting substrate.  To my surprise, I learned that many masterpieces over the centuries were executed copper and other metals.  There are fine works on copper that have survived for centuries by such master painters as El Greco, Brueghel, Reni, Wtewael, Chardin and Rembrandt.   Preservationists say that copper is more durable and stable than many other surfaces, and undoubtedly more immutable than wood or paper.

I mounted a strip of roll copper onto a piece of reclaimed walnut using copper tacks.   The surface had some impressions of the wood beneath.   I decided to hammer the surface to create a mottled but consistent pattern.   Another copper substrate curiosity pertained to the handling. Apparently fingerprints tend to linger and/or become more pronounced over time so I was careful not to let my skin touch the painting surface of the copper, but instead I handled it with a paper towel.

I did not pre-glaze or underpaint the copper, but rather painted directly on the copper surface.   The paint dried very quickly, which seemed counter intuitive.   Wouldn't a slippery surface without the ability to absorb just result in the paint sitting there?  No, the surface was ready for more paint within an hour.

The dimensions of the vintage walnut is 6x10 inches appropriate for a long beach scene.   A copper colored sunset was the idea I had in mind from the time I first decided to try this metallic.   I used a Green Harbor photo in which a row of dark beach houses were backlit by sunset at low tide, and the wet sand was reflecting the houses and sky.   The copper still shows through which I love.   I let the hammer pattern of the sky dictate the shapes of the clouds.