Inspired by two of the most magnificent natural phenomenas on Earth, Molten Magma and Aurora Borealis with their mesmerising colour-play, Anabela Chan unveils 8 special creations pioneering a ‘painterly’ effect in anodised recycled & refined aluminium, a new technique two years in the making.

To achieve a spectrum gradient with a ‘painterly’ effect where different colours flow into one another, it is similar to painting with pigments by hand. Let us explain why this is a challenge.

Aluminium is the second most widely used metal in the world and engineers use it for its lightweight and corrosion resistance. Anodising is an electrochemical process that develops an aluminium oxide coating on the surface of the aluminium, which gives it its colour and resistance, with a hardness equivalent of 9 on the Mohr’s scale, second to diamonds. The anodizing process works by passing a direct current through an electrolytic solution, to allow the layer of aluminium oxide to form on the surface, and in the process open up ‘pores’ in the metal to allow for the colour pigments to be absorbed. The challenge with achieving a gradient colour is that the dye process requires submerging the piece into a chemical bath for a controlled length of time, which usually gives a single colour, so in order to achieve a gradient ombre effect, like an alchemist we created our own pigmented solution with a unique consistency that allows us to play with the ‘painterly’ effect organically by hand, with each creation a unique edition.