Progress.

New materials... Blaze orange marker paint on plywood, jute rope, and blue patina copper.

I am having fun experimenting with this next piece. The teaser version is that its about 'value'... ya know, because that's what I do.

I love the look and texture of the brown jute against the smooth blaze orange. I'm thinking the orange will have a layer of clear wax which should ghost it out a bit. The copper in the photo was left over from my last piece. I'm working on my patina process to get the blue brighter, which will be a nice strong contrast to the orange and jute. And of course there will be wax and ash.

The patina process.

These are the copper tubes in a salt and vinegar mix. They soaked for a bit, then I pulled them out, dribbled more vinegar on them, and sprinkled them with salt. If you repeat every few hours turning as needed, you get this...

Almost there...

I'm loving this look! Once I'm satisfied with the depth of the patina I'll give it a light rinse and seal it with lacquer. I'll cut it into smaller pieces then add it to my work.

So, I'm satisfied.