I'm so happy with this BEFORE AND AFTER! The "Before" picture shows the raw copper after the patina process. I spent a week manipulating the copper with different methods to get these vibrant colors. The "After" picture shows the final piece after I applied ArtResin. This epoxy resin gives the colors a rich, glossy finish. Each color just comes alive! I'm extremely happy with the result! What do you think?!

I added ArtResin into my creative process because I feel it makes the colors pop and creates movement in the piece. As you walk by the finished copper piece, it's like the art is liquid and changes with the eye's position. I've been asked by other creatives about this last step of applying resin. I always say,  "It's what gives the copper life!"

-Karla

ArtResin

I always love when businesses embrace copper in their decor…especially when these businesses are local favorites! N2Skin Nashville is now featuring a copper piece in their beautiful (and relaxing) spa lobby! Thank you, N2Skin ladies! I hope you love your art piece!

In 2019, I’ll be revealing other commercial spaces featuring my aged copper in their businesses! The excitement of all of the possibilities fuels me to keep creating new pieces, new colors, and new textures in my patina! Now - back to work I go!

I normally show my completed projects but sometimes it’s nice to show a work in progress! I mean after all - aren’t we all a beautiful work in progress?! This particular color scheme reminds me of my “trip of a lifetime” - driving down the Pacific coast highway and through Big Sur! I took so many pictures of the water - I just couldn’t stop! If you’ve ever driven that route, you know there are countless overlooks for which to pull over and observe the ocean and it’s magical shoreline. And each one provides a new prospective of the breathtaking view. Today I stopped to observe this piece in progress. I think it’s coming along quite nicely!

As we leave Summer behind and say “Hello” to Fall, I begin to think of the beautiful transition that happens between seasons. In Summer the warm glow of the sun lights the lush, green trees. In Fall the colorful leaves slowly reveal their splendor. It’s a cycle of life that I never tire of experiencing! Nature is the inspiration of my art, and for this particular piece, I imagined that this is what Aspen must be like right now! It’s as if the trees are at the edge of the cliff of Summer ready to leap into the Fall season! For this particular piece, I patinated the copper for over a week, manipulating it to achieve these vibrant colors! Aspen Summer, here I come (well, in my mind, anyway)!

My clients can be quite creative with their ideas for how aged copper can fit into their space! In this case, my client from Maryland called me to create an art piece for her river house. She sent me a picture of a colorful vase with vivid greens and touches of neutrals and browns. She wanted me to mimic the colors of that vase in the art piece. I chose to do a 3 piece grouping because the tall, skinny palates reminded me of the tall vase. When hung together, the pieces create a beautiful, artistic statement!

I just finished this piece for my client and it's on it's way to her home! I hope she likes it! This customer saw my work at the Paul LeQuire & Co. gallery. She fell in love with the black and golds of the Carolina Summer piece (see the Copper Palates page for reference), but it wasn't the size she needed. She asked the gallery owner to commission me to do a custom piece for her. She wanted me to do something within those palate of colors on a larger scale. So, with nervous energy I went to my studio in hopes I could create the perfect compliment to her space. 

There's always a little bit of an unknown in creating a custom work. I patina the copper and then wait. Then I decide if there's more that should be done or if the work is finished. I let the copper guide me. It will reveal itself when it's finished. I was delighted with the end result! I hope my client feels the same! 

My residential customers are drawn to the aged copper. They may have seen a piece in a gallery or on my website and want a custom work specifically for them. Sometimes they have a specific spot for the art in mind and sometimes we place it according to the flow of the room. In this particular case, we framed the copper to give it more depth. I thought, at first, that the frame would dull the look of the piece and make it seem one-dimensional. However, to my pleasant surprise, it took the copper to a new level! It anchored it on the wall, both visually and literally! Ha! It seems as though it allowed the colors and textures to come alive in the space!

I recently took a "bucket-list trip" down the Pacific Coast Highway - from San Francisco to LA. All I can say is WOW! The views were breathtaking! I found myself stopping every few miles to take another picture! I captured images of animals and flowers and ocean, as well as sunrises and sunsets I'd never seen. The world is one amazing place, isn't it?! I can't wait for my next adventure!