Aurum

It’s all about the gold

Aurum (the latin word for gold) is a long, rectangular abstract painting that’s been created with a series of interlocking long sweeps of paint. I sometimes refer to these as acrs or loops but I guess you can describe them any way you wish!

These looops are moved around with a wndow squeegee on the end of a long pole. In this painting I have used three different types of metallic gold paint; one is a yellow gold, one is the Royal gold (somehting we use on a constant basis on the live streams) and one is a more subtle, darker gold with hints of bronze.

The power of three

All three paints come from different suppliers and all three have different qualities to each other. The result of this combination is quite remarkable. On one hand you get a rich contrast between all of them and then, as you begin to move around a little, you start to get changes in their lustre and reflective properties.

This is because of the way that light interacts with the positioning of the metallic powders inside the paint. As they form in non-regular patterns each one of them changes as you change your own position, relative to the light source you have.

So the Royal gold becomes a vibrant, shining mass of liquid lightning whilst the yellow gold brings depth and warmth. It really is quite something to see and is prevelant across the entire surface of the canvas.

Details and effects

The effects that I have created with the squeegee technique also add another layer of interest as the arcs and loops move over and through each other in waves. A glance at some of the close up photos here will give you an idea about how much range of movement there is as well as the wealth of detail in every single stroke.

I brought white into the mix to help add some tonal range to all the other colours and this inclusion has produced some charismatic blends between the paints.

One other notable inclusion is the series of four deep bronze arcs that finish off the paintng. I put these in right at the end to ‘zone’ the painting and allow it to feel comfortable in having distinctive areas, as well as using them to soften the large sweeps that went on before. I like the way it allows your eye to gently waft through the centre but also allow it to stop and pause for a while.