Much of my work involves the extensive use of patinas on gilded surfaces.

Gilding is the process of applying very thin sheets of metal to various surfaces in a process used by artists for hundreds of years. Although the finished surface will look like copper or silver, it isn’t – any object that can be painted can be gilded – from paper to stone. I could even gild your hand, if you wanted to sit still for it.

All of you have experience with patinas – the most common is ordinary rust on a steel garden tool you accidently left out in the rain. Another familiar patina is the greenish surface that forms on copper exposed to air and moisture. Patina is actually the tarnishing of metal, or a sign that the metal is oxidizing.

Almost all raw metal surfaces (gold and platinum don’t tarnish) will be naturally patinated by exposure to the elements. What I do, instead of relying on nature, is to apply combinations of different chemicals and/or heat at various temperatures to create controlled and long lasting patinas. I patina both solid metal (usually copper and steel), and metal leaf on other surfaces (such as stone, wood, steel and paper). The best leaf patina effects appear on copper, silver and dutch metal leaf.

After patination is complete, I also work the surfaces of my pieces with pearlescent mica powers, metal dust, japan paints, and other materials, to create the one of a kind effects I’m after.

As you can understand, the way I achieve these effects is a “trade secret” – the product of years of experimentation. Please don’t ask me how I did it....even if I remember, I can’t tell you! Instead, go to David Marks' website – he has an instructional DVD, patination kits, and teaches classes.

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