A Gilded Tribute

To memorialize his mentor, the late Rick Glawson, Larry White, Walljewelry.com, applied every technique, and more, associated with reverse glass gilding. The 44 x 44-in. tribute comprises multi-stage acid embossing, textured acid etching, glue chipping and sandcarving. Assorted karats of water- and surface-gilded gold and composite-metal leaf, plus glass jewels, watch crystals and an abalone border, are set against a royal-blue smalt background.

The entire process required detailed instructions, but White provided a few related tips. For such high-end art pieces as this one, White uses extra-clear, low-iron glass, such as Starphire, which lacks the green tint that accompanies standard plate glass. Also, he seals the sandcarving with Superfrog Frog Juice 7000 Sunscreen Clear, which allows these areas to accept a water gild. “If the Frog Juice slightly puddles in the carved areas, it’s not noticeable as if it were sealed with varnish, which has a noticeable amber tone,” White said.

When ready to gild, White said to lay the piece flat, face up, and flood the carved and surrounding area with water size. Apply the goldleaf onto the “puddle” of water size over the area to be gilded. Tilt the piece at an angle to let the water size flow out. This pulls the leaf down into the sand carving. It typically takes a few gilds to completely cover the area without holidays or cracks in the finished gild. Back up the gild with ochre enamel screen ink with a brush. Run a razor blade over the glass surface around the sandcarved areas to remove excess gold, then use a small gilder’s brush (which is similar to a small shoe brush) to remove the excess. The brush allows the gold to be removed right up to the backing paint without any gold halo or damage to the backup paint.

White also advises gilders to catch skewings into a container and use them in various other work, including the final surface gilding over water-gilded glue chipping.

A Rick Glawson-inspired piece wouldn’t be properly pounced without using baby socks. White said, “They’re easy to fill and secure with a rubber band. They’re also easily stored in your favorite, 3-oz. Dixie cups.” White also uses finely ground artist’s charcoal in the bag for pouncing images or graphics onto water-gilded gold.

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