It is through the use of the techniques and materials of the past associated with the technologies of the present that Marie creates furniture and decorative panels that will become unique pieces of quality destined to cross time.
Faithful to traditional techniques, the artist essentially uses materials and products that characterize the authenticity of the style of Florentine painting of the Renaissance period.
The Florentine decorative painting is mainly applied on wooden supports. The period mediums used are of high quality. Free of chemicals, they are mainly made from plants or animals. This is with some exceptions, since equivalent products that naturally integrate with others are now available.
The vast majority of the wood used for the creations consists of centenary cedar recovered from ancestral houses built in Quebec. This ancient method of building houses involves a log-framed construction of 6 square inches cedar beams. Also, an agglomerate of wood combining natural materials and modern assembly techniques may also used.
The cedar, rich in natural textures, serves as the basis for the chosen ornamentation scheme. In the making of each piece of furniture and decorative panel, the piece of wood that will be used is chosen and arranged according to the ornamental motif whose work will be decorated. Thus, a piece of furniture or a decorative panel produced more than once remains unique and possesses its own individuality.
The vast majority of the techniques used are faithful to the Florentine tradition. In order to obtain this splendid period finish, a first coat of stain is applied on the pieces to the bare wood and it is finely sanded afterwards. Then a gesso made by hand with rabbit skin glue is applied in several thin layers. Sometimes, a crackel finish is obtained from a gesso made with an albumen (dried egg white) binder.
The colors used are casein-based. Casein paint is a natural and ecological paint composed of milk protein that has been adapted for the realization of antique decorative finishes. This painting becomes very hard and has been used since antiquity. It provides a natural finish that makes it possible to obtain a beautiful patina.
Decorative gilding with gold or silver leaf goes hand in hand with Florentine painting. In the 15th century, in Italy, with a piece of ducat (fine gold coin), it was possible to make 150 golden leaves, all hand-beaten. Today, from the same gold coin, it is mechanically possible to produce 400 gold leaves. A gold leaf has a thickness equivalent to one thousandth of a hair. Very special care and methods are necessary in order to obtain the solidity and the characteristic brilliance of this noble material.
In her creations, Marie uses 22- or 23-carat pure gold leaf or an imitation sheet made of brass and zinc, commonly called a composition sheet. Although their method of application and finishing differs, both results offer a beautiful shine. The true gold leaf, sold at the current market price of gold, offers an incomparable luster compared to the composition sheet.
The final step is the antiquing of the furniture or the decorative panel. It is this stage that reveals the true nature of the artwork, and attributes to it its definitive personality.
These techniques and materials give a much higher quality than the new products, often synthetics and made with chemicals, available on the market today. Their ability to pass through time, which can be seen on ancient works of art still in superb condition, is an irrefutable proof of this.
Ancient knowledge
Traditional natural materials
New art