Selected gouache paintings on watercolour paper with verre-églomisé from 2016 to the present.

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The works in this category are multi-layered pieces which involve gouache paintings on paper seen through a verre-églomisé overlay on glass. Verre-églomisé, also known as gilded-glass, is a French term that refers to applying a precious metal-leaf design to the rear face of glass to produce a mirror-like finish.  It was used historically for adorning jewelry, drinking glasses, mirrors and furniture, and in more recent times advertising and signwriting for shop front windows.  The challenge with this technique is adhering the gold-leaf to a glass surface which is both delicate, slippery and sharp.  All of the gouache paintings below are overlaid and framed with glass, verre-églomisé applied to the inside surface of the glass, and imagery drawn into the gold-leaf in reverse to how it will be seen. Gold and palladium are used in multiple layers to build up a rich and complex surface. The beauty of this technique comes from the shadows cast by the metal-leaf drawing as it floats above the painted surface and the mirror-like surface of the metal-leaf on glass.