And somehow we’re meant to be Perfect, 2019
Traditional icon boards with 24ct gold leaf, mounted on Gesso board with text under each icon. Box frame; double water gilding to front of frame with intelaggio corners and double oil gilding to the sides.
40 x 85 cm 15 3/4 x 33 1/2 in
Traditional icon boards with 24ct gold, mounted on Gesso board with text under each icon. Box frame double water gilding on front of frame with intelaggio corners and double oil gilding to the sides. Non reflective glass, Corri‐corr archival water resistant backing board (as used by Smithsonian)
Three golden mirrors and an empty space, the perfect size for a fourth. The mirrors are made of 24ct gold using a technique called water gilding, which dates back to ancient Egypt. The technique is mainly used for religious icon paintings and is considered so complex it takes a life time to master (7 years to become competent and 21 to become a master craftsman). This ‘process piece’ takes the act of learning water gilding and compares it to the process of learning to become, or trying to become, skillful at life. The first mirror resulted from reading many (often contradictory) methods for mastering the process, the lesson from the piece was that you need to find your own way. The second mirror revealed that as one improves in one area, weaknesses in other areas become more apparent, the lesson was that making mistakes is part of improving. The board for the third mirror was faulty (it came with bubbles in the gesso). There is no technique to get around this. When it happens it’s not your fault, make the best of it, it may make things more interesting. The lesson, sometimes things are beyond your control. The piece is intended to be viewed from different distances. From a couple of meters your reflection looks like a painting, as you get intimately close, the golden reflection shows a limited view of fine detail. Further, if the viewer stands back and looks at the reflection of someone standing close, they can see a clearer total picture (reflection) of that person than they can of themselves.
