Patina

The title of the film - Patina - suggests many meanings around the phenomenon of "surface" that function in this hand painted film. Taking footage from a distant past and reworking it through paint and montage, creating veils thorough which only glimpses of the photographed images can be seen - becomes not a metaphor for but a visceral expression of the effects of time. The goal of the work is not to be excessively "poignant" or "nostalgic" about the past but rather to celebrate the vibrancy of seeing (and painting) it anew. The process of transforming photography into paint is particularly significant for me as I have been painting on paper and canvas for the past several years and this is my first completed film from this period. - Peter Herwitz