Copper Pigments

Copper Pigments PG20

A range of luminous blues, turquoises, grassy greens and marshy hues can be created from copper. By subjecting pure copper metal to acetic acid fumes creates an electric blue corrosion product: verdigris pigment. Impurities such as other metals and organic compounds to be found in vinegar help to create a rich and diverse palette of colours from this metallic element. Mixed with a little distilled water and dissolved cherry gum, this pigment can be made into a transparent ink like the one below. 

Verdigris Ink made from pure copper, acetic acid and distilled water. This handmade ink can be purchased through the online shop.

Verdigris colour swatch, as the ink pools and dries in thicker layers, small copper ectetae crystals form.

Shades of verdigris, Lincoln Green, woad and weld on vellum, 2022. (Lincoln Green refers to a historical green colour made in Lincoln and Kendal, U.K during the medieval period created by dyeing textiles with weld and then over dyed with woad)

After George Field, pigments and gum Arabic on archival watercolour board. 2021

In the painting above, two copper pigments have been used. The blueish toned segment in a very pure verdigris and the greenish tone has been made with found copper and organic apple vinegar. You can just about make out the granular property of the blue segment where two pigments have been mixed together, each one containing different particle sizes.

Case Study: Verdigris for Neptune Interiors

For this project a unique shade of green was created from historical pigments. Neptune commissioned Lucy to create a special colour, a pigment mix, based on historical recipes for their 2022 Autumn/Winter palette. They had in mind 'Constable Green', a deep and rich pastoral green. Named in honour of the master painter whose bucolic oils epitomise the English countryside, the resulting hue literally evolved from pigments extracted from trees, plants and earthy compounds.

Various verdigris swatches used for the Constable Green Project.

For more information visit the 'Colour Consultation' on the main menu of this website.

Case study: UCL Pigment & Poetry Symposium 2022 - Pigments from salvaged vehicles: Burnt Moped

This ongoing symposium series is centred around our interpretations and imaginations inspired by colour intersections and was created by artist and associate professor of painting at The Slade School of Fine Art, UCL.

For the 2021 and 2022 Symposiums I presented my work with pigments and narratives that weave into my research. This selection of waste stream pigments was presented and elucidated on during the 2022 talk which took place at Elephant West, London. 

From left to right: Iron oxide pigment, Verdigris pigment (pure), Verdigris mixed with ash and carbon black from burnt rubber tyres. 2020

Wild Pigment Project: September 2023 Verdigris 

Alongside Ink maker ( http://www.jasonslogan.com/ ) and artist Catalina Christensen ( https://www.catalinachristensen.com/ ) we have created three separate batches of verdigris pigment that will be expertly blend by Tilke Elkins of Wild Pigment Project for their Groundbright pigment subscription. Available in September 2023.

https://wildpigmentproject.org/