I Have Something Else To Show You Today ..

Today I’m jumping back into showing you some new silver that I acquired several weeks ago now. Also I wanted to display it with a piece of artwork I created long before I started blogging here on Hive. I’m looking forward to hearing some feedback on whether or not you’re enjoying this type of display or not. I think, sometimes, I am creating more work for myself by creating blog posts in this fashion. On the other hand I do believe that it adds a little bit more interest to my pieces since I’m a bit new at blogging about silver. Let me know what you think in the comments. I’d be interested in not offended in the least if you didn’t care for this format or for the art.

If your only interested in the silver, just skip this first bit about the art.

The Art ..

Let’s jump right in and take a look at today’s art. This oil painting on canvas, I created a good while ago. It’s amazing how time flies and it seems like just the other day I was painting this. I’m going to guess it’s been a good 10 years since I’ve completed this piece.

'Edge Of The Forest'

This place is called ‘Edge of the Forest’ I can’t remember off hand, but I believe that I probably have about 10 hours invested in this piece. I tend to paint more on hard surfaces like hardboard, but I did produce a few paintings on canvases as well. Oil paint has a different feel going on to a hard surface rather than some surface that has a little give to it, like canvas. It’s just a different feel in your hand as you’re applying the material with a brush. Hard to explain but if you were an artist and a painter you may know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, then I suggest you pick up this hobby so you know what I’m talking about. LOL. Or just take my word for it. Ha ha ha.

With this particular piece I wasn’t going for a dramatic colors, although I did utilize several blues, purples, yellows, and greens in the sky. When painting this piece it was my goal to create a feeling of a day typically found in late summer or early fall. Quite like the days we are seeing today in the north east part of the United States. A day where the air is crisp and the humidity is low. I wanted some of that late day light to filter down through the leaves, through the thin air, and land on the ground in patches of yellow, highlighting the leaves and grass. I also wanted the effect of bright light shining in the background and central to the painting. I was trying to draw the viewer into the painting, as if they wanted to take a walk into the forest in front of them.

I’m an amateur painter, and what most consider a hobby painter at best. It is key for me to keep practicing certain techniques and methods in order to build upon my skills. I was never formally taught to paint so I am a proud 'self-taught' artist. One that makes more mistakes than I would like to admit. I've learned that it's okay though.. I don't need to strive for perfection, just self gratification. Some days I think taking an art class would’ve helped work out some of the kinks I have to work out on my own. In the distant future, I may do just that.

That being said, another goal around this period of time when I was learning quite a bit about painting, was how to paint depth. How does one create the feeling of depth in a painting? For me this was simple, I would layer dark and light tones in a way that would trick the eye in thinking there was depth in the scene. Easier said than done and I found that out as I would attempt to do it.

With this particular painting I had a sense of what I needed to do and worked my hardest to accomplish it. I call it 'depth of field', and it is similar to the depth of field in photography. You either want everything to be in focus or just certain things to be in focus; for example a certain plane of the scene to be in focus. I achieve this by creating a blurred affect in the background, a crisp affect in the middle ground, and a blurred affect in the foreground. As you can see when you look at this painting, the trees in the far background are blurred and darker than the ones upfront. This tricks your eye into thinking there are trees in the background. We can call it a suggestion of trees. Maybe not quite a crisp, clean, wonderful looking tree, but just a hint that a tree is back there.

I worked on this, and many other skills, to try and get a little bit better at what I was doing. This sort of painting takes a lot of time, time that I don’t have right now. When you start a painting like this you have to see it through and not stop in the middle and lose your place. If I don’t have a lot of time and I start one of these paintings on a weekend, I run the risk of my blended oil paints drying out before I have a chance to finish it. This is important because I’d like to keep the same color scheme and blending techniques throughout the painting. If my time is interrupted, there’s a chance that one part of the painting will look completely different than the other. So for now I’ve been doing smaller paintings rather than larger ones like this. This painting measures 12 inches high by 24 inches wide.

**I thought this forest themed painting would create a nice backdrop for todays silver display. So enough about the boring art, and lets explore the new silver round I recently acquired.

The New Silver ..

When making a Silver purchase recently, I decided to pick up one of these 1 ounce medieval legends Robin Hood silver rounds.

Robin Hood, and other medieval legends found in folklore are very popular right now. There are lots of new series being launched with folklore figures such as this. I purchased this piece from JM Bullion for a price just over spot. I would’ve liked to have picked up more of these as an leverage investment (in selling them later for a higher premium), but I have so many things I want to buy that I limited myself to one.

The coin came in one of those crappy flips, and before you ask no I have not bought any airtight cases yet. I’m getting there. Given the amount of coins stacked in the small box, and the poor packaging techniques they used, the coin surprisingly came in good shape.

The Obverse

The obverse of the round features Robin Hood himself! Perched among the trees of the forest, he awaits the rich and their treasures of gold and silver. Robin Hood will ask nicely for a donation to the poor. Yes his request remains unfulfilled, he will simply take what is needed from the rich and give to the poor.

Oh what a beautiful design that clearly demonstrates the feeling of being put on the spot in front of a bow and arrow. Robin Hood has his arrow drawn back awaiting is a victim. The details in the trees, the leaves, Robin Hood outfit, his hair, hands, and satchel are all wonderful. The relief of the coin is quite high so a protective case is in order and needed to protect these details. The overall look of the coin is not highly reflective but rather light and glossy. I kind of like that about this round. Also the font style used is pretty cool and reflective of what story book text would look like.

The Reverse

After flipping the coin over and looking at the reverse, much of the style is the same. The same slightly reflective glossy appearance across the whole coin. The design features are contained within a wide rim that runs around the outside of the coin. The font has that cool storybook look and simply states the measure and quality of the silver.

The theme of the reverse is such that you would find in a castle. There is a wooden table in the foreground with a bunch of different types of items laid across it. I see what appears to be a comb, a bow, arrows, sword, quill in ink, chalice, Apple, candle, and other items. There’s also Stonewall in the far background with a ledge just below a Stainglass window. I get the overall feeling that I’m sitting in the planning room of Robin Hood‘s castle. What a cool place to be! As long as I am not the next on the list to be robbed.

The Edge

The edge of the coin is crisp and reeded. The reeding it’s not quite as deep as I’ve seen another coins but pretty clean and detailed. It is also wide enough that I can stand the coin on end without it falling over.

Overall, I would highly recommend this coin to anyone collecting folklore type silver. It’s a great piece with lots of detail and nicely produced.

I hope you enjoyed both the silver and the art, and I look forward to sharing more of the same in future posts.

“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.”
― Susan Polis Schutz

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

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