In the Dark

Inspired by the surreal and sketchy pieces I like from Tobias Kwan, this is maybe my most successful little painting from a series. I was more fearless in overpainting here which otherwise is often a hindrance to me - something already painted cannot possibly be painted over, can it? - and I like the flakes of metal leaf, some of which peeks through from the bottom-most layers (which was hard since they lose all their shine once paint touches them. Maybe real gold leaf does better in this regard?). From pieces where I use metal leaf, I collect the flakes when scrubbing off the excess in a small vial I used like a salt shaker, pressing them down with a silicone tool. The background has a lot of layers, some drawn with palette knives. I am rather proud of myself to keep from over-detailing the parts in shadow.
I used Daler+Rowney system 3 acrylic paint and Gerstäcker metal leaf in flame look.
"In the Dark", A4, acrylics on Bristol carton.