SHIRLEY MOSSMAN NISBET

Inside Light
Bronze Acrylic with Earth & Metallics on Canvas
44”x30”

Metallics

Metallics are paints containing metal powders that reflect light. The metallics powders (gold, silver, pewter, bronze, and copper) can be suspended in acrylics, oils, pigment sticks, or encaustic wax media. They form a partially reflective finished surface, so that when the viewer walks past the painting, its appearance changes, sometimes dramatically, producing the impression of multiple paintings within one surface. It is the relationship between these multiple transformations that makes these paintings so intriguing for both the viewer and the artist. The challenge for the artist is to resolve a painting in terms of balance, color, style, technique, etc. One aspect of a painting may be resolved in a way that creates an entirely different challenge when viewed from a different angle. Thus the artist must move back and forth until a fully-resolved, cohesive surface is achieved.

I first discovered this effect when experimenting during my residency at Virginia Center for Creative Arts (“VCCA”) in 1998. This resulted in a whole series of paintings which included metallics combined with other materials such as earth, coffee grounds, and plastics. These were exhibited in a solo show in London, UK, in 1999. It was not until my 2013 residency at VCCA that I resumed using metallics in various media.


Three different views of 'Bronzed Earth in Silver' - Earth, Oil, Wax & Metallic, 22”x30”

Three different views of 'Metallics with Gold Center' Acrylic & Metallics on Paper, 30”x42”

Three different views of 'Pink Floating in Silver' Oil, Wax & Metallics, 22”x30”

Three different views of 'Reflective Gold Enclosed' Acrylic & Metallics on Crated Board, 22”x30” SOLD

Two different views of 'Graphite Squared in Dark Space' Graphite, Oil & Wax, 30”x22”


Three different views of 'Bronze Shaft in Metallics'
Acrylic and metallics on canvas, 60” x 20”

Three different views of 'Silver Shaft in Multi-Grays'
Oil and metallics, 60” x 15”


Inside Light With Coffee
Acrylic & Metallics on Paper, 44”x30”

Inside Light With Copper
Acrylic & Metallics on Paper, 44”x36” Sold

Inside Light With Silver
Acrylic & Metallics on Paper, 44”x30” Sold

Red Earth in Silver
Earth, Acrylics & Metallics, 30”x22”


Gold Seeps Through
Acrylics & Metallics on Canvas, 54”x90”