Artists Statement
My automotive artwork spans several mediums, from oils to acrylics and gold and silver leaf to graphite drawings, occasionally including a mixture of all the above. My unique selling point is my gold and silver leaf work, whereby the car marque and model name are depicted in silver leaf to replicate the brightwork on said vehicle.
My work is presented in both landscape and portrait formats, depending on how I wish to display the car in question.
My artworks are formulated on my desire to portray the beauty of a full vehicle or a significant aspect of the design. Sometimes just a part of a car will make the piece identifiable as the car in question, a headlight or taillight for example. Other times the full car will be portrayed.
All my gilded pieces are created on board as this is the best surface for gilding, none gilded pieces are created on stretched canvas.
Artwork is started with an image that I have taken myself, but this isn’t always possible. Firstly, the car is loosely drawn onto the canvas or board, and then painted over, in a combination of oils and acrylic. I prefer to paint the car body in oils as this medium allows for better blending for reflections, with the middle and background painted in acrylics, which are better for gilding.
The gilding outline is drawn onto the painted surface and then gilded over with a combination of a raising medium, which gives a slight 3D effect to the metallics, and an adhesive. Silver or gold leaf is then applied.
My love of all things automotive is exemplified in my artwork, classic cars being a constant go to. The beauty and individuality of older cars has thrilled me all of my life and capturing these iconic machines in art still thrills me immensely.
Doing so with traditional materials such as oil paints combined with gold and silverleaf is I believe truly unique in todays crowded artworld.