The patina is sort of like a color treatment on the surface of the metal. The best example I can think of is the Statue of Liberty- she is made of copper, and the green color that she is now is because of a natural oxidation process that happens over time. I can speed that process up with chemicals, and achieve different colors with different chemicals and/or heat. The endless varieties are captivating!

Working with metal has always been challenging. It is such a technical process that there is a lot of learning and practice before things happen intuitively. Metalsmithing was the first place I encountered that barrier- everything art-related before came naturally. So at first, working with metal felt like a struggle, there were a ton of failures, and I still make mistakes as I push myself to do more complex projects. I like to be in control, and metalsmithing allows for and requires a great amount of precision. It's satisfying unlike anything else!

I scrolled through your profile and see that you're an artist too! I enjoyed looking at your studies- keep it up!