Learning to Gild with Bettie Sperty
The Prince William Art Society has been sponsoring various art workshops for the last few months around the area on various art topics. The classes have all been very well attended - and enjoyed. The latest in our workshop series was Gilding (Metallic Leafing) with Bettie Sperty on Saturday, September 7, 2024. What a fun, creative tool to add to our artist skill sets!
Bettie Sperty with some samples of Gilding with Metallic Leafing
Learning About Leafing
Bettie Sperty is a Prince William Art Society member and the current Secretary of the art group. She is an outstanding self-taught artist of often whimsical and fantastic subjects. And she loves adding a bit of sparkle to her art pieces, hence making gilding right up her alley.
We had 8 students taking her workshop and all of us so enjoyed it. A really eye opening and inspirational workshop and the students asked some great questions about the process, things to try, and more.
Gilding Workshop Photos
Bettie going over the basics on the gilding supplies like types of adhesive, types of foils, many tips and techniques, some do's, some do nots, and some work-arounds. Plus, the bonus of you CAN gild almost anything.
We had 5 Prince William Art Society members, 6 including Bettie, and several others that weren't - but they found out about the gilding workshop on Facebook. The registration filled so fast! Hopefully, Bettie can do another class soon.
Sandra, me, Nicole and our new friend Dawn showing off our "Pizza Boxes"
Our Pizza Box Gilding Supplies and artwork to take home!
Bettie's husband, Brian, Sandra McClelland Lewin, Nicole Fisher, and Penny Shaw
Staci Blanchard and I using the hair dryer to quick-dry the adhesive
Dawn trying gold leafing with water colors, and it worked!
Nicole experimenting with gilding on one of her artworks, and it ended up so cool! Note that her work is still in progress and many areas are still taped off.
I said at one point during the class, when have you ever had 9 women together in one room and it ever be so quiet? Everyone was so intently focused on their gilding projects that the silence was 'golden'. And oh my goodness, the artwork and the creativity that surfaced that was shown was outstanding! And for some of the gilding students, this was their first time doing the craft too!
Amazon, here we come for more gilding supplies! This stuff comes in lots of colors and variegated too. My little artist heart is gilded!
Leave a comment below about the class or if you would like to take a leafing class!
Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.
Photography/Video Credits: Bettie Sperty and Donna Liguria
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
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