METAL PIGMENTS
The desire to have an environmentally neutral practice using natural materials required me to find a way to source materials appropriate for my more ethereal works related to the memories of the Antarctica, Iceland and the Arctic. One either cannot ethically/legally gather rocks in these locations, or the majority are volcanic with a hint of colour in the surface, but impossible to grind. After a great deal of experimentation, I started corroding metal powders in conjunction with indigo dyes, which resulted in an amazing array of colours perfect for representing the memories of the above mentioned locations. I am very excited by the prospect of creating as many nuances as possible.
The characteristics of the new beautiful colours were unknown to me. I was concerned that some of the colours may fade with time, but I was uncertain as to how much. With the generous support of Colart, I have been able to test many samples in a Q-Sun Xenon Test Chamber for the fastness of the colours in the next 0 - 50 years and 50 - 100 years.
Fortunately, almost all the colours have performed really well, so I can happily continue to use the metal pigments in my work. As with any pigments, there will inevitably be small changes to the colours over time - in that sense the paintings have their own evolution, which I rather like. The changes will remain minimal, and if the paintings are covered with glass and/or hung indirectly to the sun basically non-existent. On the other hand, I can create ephemeral works with the few pigments that do fade over time.
