Woodcock pin-feather paintings – with gold leaf
In the days after Christmas, Colin put the finishing touches to these two woodcock pin-feather paintings. Together they make a pair, because one is a Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) and the other is an American woodcock (Scolopax minor).
What makes them different from Colin’s other woodcock pin-feather paintings is the addition of a new element: gold leaf.
Colin owes his inspiration to the work of a Romanian friend, Cornel Apostol, who is an iconographer (and a talented photographer). Encouraged by Cornel, Colin decided to experiment with different shades of gold, using the wafer-thin sheets to represent some of the leaves in the background of his pictures. The result incorporates four subtly different hues of gold: lemon, green, red and ‘moon‘, ranging from 16.5 to 24 carats.
Fixing gold leaf to paper is a tricky process which involves applying a special size or glue to the surface, and then carefully placing the sheet of gold over the top. The area is then burnished and the excess gold is gently removed with a stiff brush.
Colin says: “I was keen to use different colours of gold leaf in order to achieve a natural variety of tones. But applying the stuff is extremely challenging, because you only have to breathe and it disappears in a shower of gold!”
The paintings themselves depict Eurasian and American woodcock in flight; the Eurasian woodcock has a background of birch leaves, while the American woodcock is portrayed with aspen. Each has been painted with a single pin-feather from the respective bird, and the feather is inserted into the paper, below the image, before framing.
The American woodcock, also known as the ‘timberdoodle’, has a distinctive cinnamon-coloured breast and is considerably smaller than its Eurasian cousin. Its pin-feather is also proportionately smaller and tends to be much softer, which makes for a challenge of focus and skill in the hands of the artist.
The paintings each measure 210 x 200 mm (image size) and are now being offered for sale.
More information on pin-feather painting can be found on Colin’s website, www.wildart.co.uk
Images copyright © Colin Woolf
10 Comments
Pat
That is one incredibly talented husband you have there. These are wonderful!
Jo Woolf
Thank you, Pat! 🙂 Yes, I know!
http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com
Awe-inspiring beauty – Colin is such a talented and patient artist.
Jo Woolf
Thank you very much, Viv! It’s strange but he’d never describe himself as patient. But he simply HAS to paint. It’s quite difficult to explain! 🙂
Monica Emerich (@Memerich)
How beautiful these are. Thank you both for your great website(s), inspiring photos and text, and paintings. I look forward to every new installment.
Jo Woolf
Thank you, Monica, you are very kind! Always a pleasure to share them. We are both very lucky! 🙂
joturner57
Thanks for sharing the recent work of your accomplished husband…I imagine working with gold leaf must be nerve-wracking, yet highly gratifying. The finished pieces are so evocative and lovely : )
Jo Woolf
Thank you, Jo! Yes, it looked extremely fiddly. But the result is very effective, although quite hard to photograph! 🙂
Moira Goodman
Wow!! These pictures are truly amazing. What a talent and it must take a very steady hand when doing the gold leaf. The colours used compliment each other very well. Absolutely beautiful.
Jo Woolf
Thank you, Moira! I know, they are stunning. It did need some patience for the gold leaf, you’re right! But it paid off in the end, and he’s very pleased with them.