Get The Technique
Getting out of the office to see things in person is always a good thing for getting inspired, collecting ideas or learning about something new. Getting out of the office for a little refresher on something you may already know is also useful, which is what a few of us did recently with a trip to Sepp Leaf Products, whose showroom is located here in Manhattan.
We brought along a goose egg to do some testing on.
The history of gold leaf is deep, tracing back to Egyptian times over 4000 years ago, and can seem very intimidating as a project. Fortunately things have gotten easier for the non-professional thanks to suppliers likes Sepp, who have developed kits that make it approachable.
We found the showroom very interesting with it's vast assortment of gold leaf types and colors. It's exciting and impressive to see the variety of options that are available for this traditional art form. Honestly we had no idea there was so much!
The tool collection was also very interesting and well displayed.
1 Agate burnishers are used to burnish gold to a high luster.
2 Many options are available in the agate burnishers - such a beautiful tool
3 The variety of the agate burnisher tips makes it's clear the small spaces they are designed to reach.
4 The brush assortment is also impressive!
Although we were visiting to discuss a small project with gold leaf, Sepp Leaf is well established in supplying gold leaf for very big jobs, like buildings. One of which sits across the street from the showroom and can be viewed from the office windows.
The New York Life Building was built in 1928 and is an icon in the New York City landscape. The most recent roof restoration was completed in 2007.
Another example of a famous New York City site has also benefited from the addition of a little gilding.
If you are feeling inspired to try gold leafing, here are some project suggestions:
Happy Gilding!
