Patina-patata...

I buy my brass stampings from a manufacturer here in the U.S., a fourth generation family business. Raw brass arrives shiny and bright yellow gold. It is tricky to patina and is often electroplated or painted. I prefer colors that are a result of a chemical reaction to the metal itself, though I am planning on trying a product called Gilder's Paste that can yield a range of interesting shades.

I happened upon this Youtube on using vinegar and salt to treat brass. It didn't patina my stampings at all. I probably needed to sand them lightly first. What it did do was clean the surface so that it accepted my Flemish grey colorant. I have tried various cleansers to no avail so I'm a thrilled with this discovery.

I love juxtaposing.  That dinosaur next to a filigree pendant is right up my alley. I recently was chatting with Heather (who flies home today for Natalie's high school graduation!) about my installation at AnnMarie Sculpture Garden this summer. I am planning on having trees appear and disappear, gradually manifesting more recycled plastic foliage. She suggested I have James do a time release film and mentioned how she loved the ephemeral nature of the art juxtaposed with the enduring ever presence of plastic bottles. In trying to come up with a word to capture the opposite of 'ephemeral' I came up with 'pernicious persistence.' My brother liked the alliteration though I find it too cheeky. Then he suggested I consider 'universal ubiquity.'  You do not want to play Scrabble with these people.

My ideas for this summer continue to evolve. I am hoping to have tree branches growing and moving from day-to-day, adding as many elements of surprise as I can. I am tickled that the installation will retain the element of 'the bottle tree' of which I have become so fond.  Two more weeks and I move away for almost three months and have to pack any tools and materials I think I might want: box of old journals, guitar, unfinished paintings along with mother-of-the-bride dress, supplies for wedding projects, wedding gifts. I'll be staying in a 'rustic house' on the 30 acre garden. Half-way through my stay I'll be trekking up to Baltimore for my daughter and future-son-in-law's fab wedding. Talk about juxtaposed. Pedicures and paint clothes, hauling my precious cut and painted recycled trash along with blingy wedding gifts for starting a new household, and this 55-year-old Mother-of-the Bride travelling into the wild unknown of a new adventure.