Every cloud has its silver lining but it is sometimes a little difficult to get it to the mint.
Don Marquis
Silver, gold, aluminum, copper, brass, bronze and chrome are just a few of the many metals that have been used in art.
They have many qualities among which is that in varying degrees, they are hard, sonorous and malleable, that is, they can be beaten into thin sheets. And importantly, they are quite heavy, bend rather than break, and are wonderfully lustrous.
Many metals are valuable. Since ancient times, metals have been used as tools, utensils and also created into many artistic forms. In ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome for example, powerful statues were cast in bronze. Furniture was made from alloys of copper and iron – or alloys that were a mixture of at least one metal with another or, also, with a non-metal. The extraordinary creations of metal workers were abundant in Medieval times from ornate decorations on heavy gates and doors to delicate metal enhancement of jewelry replete with precious stones, to elaborate book bindings and ornate book covers, sculptures, all manner of art.
And today, we can use metallic color paint which has the polished, shiny look of metal. We can apply those vibrant colors to our canvases to achieve a metallic look as we seek contrasts and variations in our paintings. The selection of metallic paint is large and only by trying them out, will you discover what works for you. Will it be Metallic Xanadu Gold, Dorado Gold, Rojo Gold or Aztec Gold? Choosing a paint color is such an enjoyable dilemma! Should I try a copper metallic paint, or brass, chrome, burgundy or olive green? What about metallic markers, metallic inks and metallic color pencils. Experimentation is fun, enticing and compelling…and, it is such an enjoyable dilemma!