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What the Tinsel?
When first looking at “Drawn and Mirrored”, Michelle Samour’s contribution to the naturetech exhibit at Fitchburg Art Museum, the first thing that catches your eye is the wonderful shimmering quality of the material used to make Samour’s micro-organisms. The first question generally asked is, “What is that?” Michelle Samour’s unique art is called “Tinsel” painting.
"Tinsel" painting is an extremely delicate technique being revived in the current art world by artists like Michelle Samour. It developed as early as the Renaissance from techniques found in Italy, China, France, Austria, England and Germany. “Tinsel Painting”, in which foil and paint are used on glass to create shimmering, jewel like depictions, became popular in America as early as 1850, as it was taught to young women as a part of their school curriculum.
The process is a slow and vigorous one that requires a fine eye and a steady hand. Tinsel painting begins when the artist paints their desired image on the reverse side of a sheet of glass. The background is painted first, which is then followed by the details of the piece such as flowers, veins, or small intricacies. The piece then sits and dries for a good amount of time, then after the conclusion of the drying process, silver or copper foil is carefully positioned and applied to the areas where the artist desires their piece to have a shimmering highlight or glowing aspect to the piece. The artist has to anchor the foil to the piece with either a varnish or putty prior to covering it with a piece of cloth (newspaper is also commonly used). Then to complete the tinsel painting process, the artist uses a finely cut piece of cardboard to back the painting and seal it all into place. And thus the art is complete!
What is interesting about Samour’s work is that she has revived this art form in a way that nods at its delicate past as a part of a refined young lady’s education while adding her own inquisitiveness about the scientific world. Samour frames her work in a way that nods at the Victorian era, while her depictions are actually of microorganisms and scientific specimen, rather than your average flower pattern. Be sure to check out the naturetech exhibit and see Michelle Samour’s work up-close and personal! Also check out the Learning Lounge where you can see more Tinsel paintings from a historical standpoint.
