Artist Sarah A. Smith uses the unique medium of gold leaf to create glimmering, dynamic drawings that burst with movement and texture. Titled Gold Drawings, her collection of large-scale works commonly depict animals, landscapes, and other elements from nature in stunning, metallic swirls and shapes.
Smith uses a combination of metal leaf, corrosive, ink, and pencil blended together on paper to produce her shimmering scenes. To create her works, she dips her brush into a jar of diluted copper sulfate and brushes it across the shiny surface of the metal leaf, sparking an acidic reaction that oxidizes the elements.
The artist's use of this harsh chemical process–which corrodes, tarnishes, and destroys the gold material–makes a powerful statement about society's obsession with commerce and material goods. By treating the precious metal in such an unforgiving manner, Smith criticizes the impact that our excessive, consumption-driven ways have had on the environment.