Grounded Glimmer

What you see here is an intimate, small-format piece rooted in my current focus on urban archaeology and subtle texture. It is a fascinating conversation between stillness and discontinuity.

The palette is profound and intentionally restrained: A rich spectrum of greys—from hazy light grey to saturated slate—forms the monochrome, contemplative base. These grey clouds are punctuated by accents in dark, earthy tones: deep black and a warm, burnt brown reminiscent of oxidized wood or rusty metal. Vertical strokes in these dark tones anchor the composition, creating a rhythmic depth and alluding to urban silhouettes or weathered structures.

The crucial, exciting accent lies in the use of copper leaf. It breaks through the darkness in two fine, nearly horizontal lines, suggesting a subtle horizon. This shimmering metal is not flawless; it is embedded, reflecting the light sometimes coolly, sometimes warmly, creating a moment of quiet, almost fleeting brilliance—a „glimmer“ of progress or hope.

The surface itself is key to the narrative. Using texture pastes and deliberate scoring techniques, I have created a skin that evokes an antique, rare collector’s item that has been touched and buried over generations. Fine, crazed cracks and delicate lines cover the entire area like a map of time. This patina lends the modern, abstract work a profound historicity and the dignity of the ephemeral. It is a window into a long history, captured in a contemporary moment.