Gilded Eyes
At the end of 2025, I had the idea to try painting animal eyes using metal leaf as the base. Gold leaf has a unique effect when it hits light from certain angles. It glows the same way animal eyes do at night. So I started my “Gilded Eyes” series with four 4” by 4” paintings referencing different animal groups to try to get a wider range of compositions. I’ll be making more as 2026 moves forward and I’m in love with the process.
More about the series
Back in 2022 I was invited to be a part of an art competition that was being held at a church up in Wyoming. I ended up creating a drawing titled “Redeeming Blood” using pen and ink and embellished it with gold leaf. Ever since this first use of the medium I have been in love with it. I’ve always loved drawing animals and I want my art to point back to the One Who created them all.
During this series, I have been thinking about how the gold brings out the life in these paintings. In Scripture, gold is referred to many times as something precious and pure. Heaven is described as being paved with streets of gold. One of the gifts that the Magi gave baby Jesus was gold.
