Our Patinas

It is not uncommon to mix powdered pigments into certain patinas, but we have only recently begun to experiment with this technique. Most of our experiments so far are with ultramarine blue pigment, mixed liberally into the normal blue-green patina, which is then applied normally with the torch technique. Different application techniques can yield a very pure blue, a greyish blue, or intense blue with blue-green figuring. The addition of some silver patina can yield a complex patina whose colors remind us of Monet's Water Lilies.

Antique blue is simply pigmented blue that has been distressed with a stiff wire brush. This both flakes and scours the patina for a more variegated look, and deepens the blue in the parts which remain solid. The look reminds us of the natural patina on some ancient bronze artifacts, such as Greek helmets.

We have thus far hardly begun experimenting with other pigments, or the use of pigments in other patina bases.