Tanja McGivney is a Hudson-based artist utilizing various metal leaves.
“I love pushing the boundaries within my artwork. Utilizing differently oxidized, dyed or pure metal leaves gilded onto a substrate can form images, emotions and longing. Drawing from my career as a restorer I specifically love using techniques to create the illusion of patina and age within my pieces. The reflections and nuances the different metal leaves reflect give it a mystical and whimsy nature.
While growing up in a small town near Frankfurt, Germany I was inspired early on by the antique sculptures and objects that fill the nearby churches and castles. In 1995 after graduating from the Arts and Crafts Academy in Fulda, I began working for The Institute for Restoration and Conservation, GmbH. Enthusiastic to broaden my horizon I entered a traditional three year apprenticeship program. There I studied the full spectrum of the gilding techniques including sculpture, frame and furniture. Simultaneously, I attended The Institute for Color and Design in Munich as part of the academical side. In 2001 I graduated with honors, receiving a scholarship to attend the Masters program at the same Institute, which I successfully completed in 2004.
I immigrated to the US shortly after and have been working with gold and metal leaf on a daily bases. There was never any question that my passion for creating would one day become my profession. Designing and creating transports me into a world of thought, memory and intuition and the opulence of gold and its sensuous appeal offer a fascinating playing field that I am immersed in daily.
Every piece of gold leaf is carefully applied using ancient gold leafing techniques and utilizing same in ways that is blending them into each other creating one-of-a-kind pieces.”
Artist Statement
Old glass and its allures. Over a century old and still in perfect condition.
I draw from the experience as a traditionally trained conservator.
I am inspired by the natural flow of light and reflections in my objects.
My choice of substrate is float glass and genuine metal leaves, using methods older than the glass itself.
I remove any shackles from the image in my process.
The piece is free to move as one moves, bouncing off light and highlighting different aspects. This creates a playfulness and whimsy.
The challenge is to see beyond the distraction of the conspicuous to capture its true essence.
My pieces are an exploration into the whimsical world of the fine arts to engage all the senses.
My goal is to inspire to look more carefully at the world around us, to discover the beauty and the changing perspectives and discover beauty in unusual places.
I am presenting these works with the hope that you feel the peace and flow as I am when creating them.