Welcome back to another installment of Padilla Designs blog series “Featured Materials”.   In this blog we would like to take you into the world of patina finishes and the unique way these chemical processes are used by our artist to add color and texture to our custom metal sculptures.

Patina is a living finish that naturally evolves and transforms over time. Many variables in the environment effect the speed, color and textures of the natural patina process.  For example salty and industrial locations will speed up the oxidation process, while dry urban and clean environments will slow the process down.

Here in the studio we use a variety of different solutions and mixtures that act as a type of catalyst for the natural patina process. These finishes are applied in a variety of creative ways including spraying, brushing and sponging. The way the patina is applied to the surface greatly effects the look, color and texture of the final finish. Often the brush strokes or patterns of the sponge material add details consistent with the sculpture style and vision.

We often seal our finished pieces with a sealer to slow down the oxidation once we have achieved a deep saturation of layered patina colors. The pictures below show a variety of our different patina effects on a wide range of our custom decorative and functional metal sculpture. Please take a look and feel free to explore all our other projects on padilladesigns.com

Want to explore other “Featured Materials”? Check out the entire blog series here.
Want to inquire about a new project at your home or commercial property? Don’t hesitate to reach out.