TECHNIQUE
Silver leaf painting
Silver leaf is laid by hand and painted over in oil like gold leaf, but stays cooler and considerably quieter in a room.
Silver reflects more broadly and less warmly than gold. A silver painting does not push itself forward, it lightens a wall rather than lighting it. Nine works are currently available.
The difference from gold
Silver cools the colours above it, gold warms them.
The same green looks greyer on silver leaf and more olive on gold leaf. The choice is usually about that shift rather than about the metal itself.
Why silver darkens
Silver leaf oxidises, and the oil layer slows that down.
Untreated silver tarnishes. Because oil paint lies over it here, the surface stays stable. A slight darkening over the years is part of the material.
Which room suits it
Rooms with a lot of white, concrete or glass.
In bright, cool rooms silver finds its tone. Beside warm wood it tips easily towards grey.
Combining with green and blue
Sage, olive and grey-blue sit well on silver.
These tones take up the coolness rather than working against it. Warm reds quickly look out of place on silver.
Availability
Nine works are available.
Prices from CHF 300, direct from the studio near Zurich, without a gallery mark-up.
More: Gold leaf painting · Encaustic on wood · Grey paintings · Techniques
