{"id":132315,"date":"2026-05-31T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T17:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=132315"},"modified":"2026-08-17T09:45:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T13:45:32","slug":"luminous-details-katherine-vetne-metalpoint","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2026\/luminous-details-katherine-vetne-metalpoint\/","title":{"rendered":"Luminous Details"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin magazine-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-flip has-box has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"2667\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-Chris-Sorenson.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-Chris-Sorenson.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-Chris-Sorenson-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-Chris-Sorenson-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-Chris-Sorenson-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-Chris-Sorenson-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-Chris-Sorenson-1000x1334.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-Chris-Sorenson-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-Chris-Sorenson-600x800.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photos by Chris Sorensen<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLuminous Details\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Katherine Vetne (CFA&#8217;09) uses the Renaissance art of metalpoint to render unsettling still lifes<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar js-block-editorial-metabar magazine-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">May 31, 2026<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/authors\/marc-chalufour\/\">Marc Chalufour<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph magazine-block-editorial-introparagraph is-style-large\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>Katherine Vetne remembers the moment she learned about the medium that has come to define her career. She was taking a painting techniques course, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2026\/a-room-with-a-view-richard-raiselis\/\">Richard Raiselis<\/a>, a longtime School of Visual Arts professor who retired in summer 2025, was guiding the class through the steps of preparing chalk gesso\u2014a traditional mixture of glue, chalk or marble dust, and pigment. Toward the end of class, Raiselis said, \u201cBy the way, this is a nice surface for metalpoint,\u201d and handed out pieces of silver wire so the students could experiment with the materials.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-2-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-132324\" width=\"307\" height=\"410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-2-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-2-Chris-Sorenson-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-2-Chris-Sorenson-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-2-Chris-Sorenson-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-2-Chris-Sorenson-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-2-Chris-Sorenson-1000x1334.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-2-Chris-Sorenson-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-2-Chris-Sorenson-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-2-Chris-Sorenson.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 307px) 100vw, 307px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">We just made some little marks,\u201d says Vetne (\u201909). \u201cAnd I fell in love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Metalpoint predates the invention of pencils. Medieval artists sketched with metal on parchment, and the practice thrived during the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci\u2019s <em>Bust of a Warrior<\/em>, which he drew with silver on prepared paper, remains a classic of the art form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those few minutes in class were formative for Vetne, who has been creating metalpoint still life drawings for more than a decade. \u201cEveryone was making really colorful, gestural paintings\u2014that\u2019s the legacy that BU is known for\u2014but there was something I didn\u2019t relate to,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMetalpoint cut out all of that extra noise. Limiting your choices so much, with these delicate lines, was exactly the place I wanted to start from.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignwide has-background-dim\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1067\" height=\"800\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-132333\" alt=\"\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-3-Chris-Sorenson.jpg\" style=\"object-position:42% 48%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"42% 48%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-3-Chris-Sorenson.jpg 1067w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-3-Chris-Sorenson-636x477.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-3-Chris-Sorenson-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-3-Chris-Sorenson-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1067px) 100vw, 1067px\" \/><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container\">\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Still Life with Backstory<\/em><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Vetne is drawn to objects tied to social customs, celebrations, and wealth. She used to search strangers\u2019 wedding registries for inspiration. Once, she bought a $200 butter dish, made of heavy cut crystal, from the registry of a bride-to-be who shared her first name and last initial. It became the focus of a gold and silverpoint drawing, <em>The Comforting Weight and Clarity of Waterford\u2019s Fine Crystal<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe people behind the registry [were] a kind of alter ego,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-full-f\">\n<div class=\"photo-f\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-3-Chris-Sorenson-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-132333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-3-Chris-Sorenson-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-3-Chris-Sorenson-636x477.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-3-Chris-Sorenson-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-3-Chris-Sorenson.jpg 1067w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center is-style-default has-white-color has-black-background-color has-text-color has-background has-small-font-size\">Vetne sets up a still life scene in her Brooklyn, N.Y., studio. Before she begins a piece, she prepares by taking meticulous photos of her subject and projecting them on a wall before glueing, gessoing, and sanding down her pane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her drawings have evolved from solitary items to more complex compositions. \u201cI\u2019ve been thinking about being a guest at a dinner party where something has gone a little wrong. It\u2019s this in-between moment where you\u2019re waiting for the fallout.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her imagined dinner parties eschew traditional place settings for unlikely combinations of items, which she arranges to suggest chaos. Objects are strewn, details distorted. Her shadows create an unsettling mood, heightening the drama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-fourths-2-1-1\">\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-4-Chris-Sorenson-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-132344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-4-Chris-Sorenson-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-4-Chris-Sorenson-636x477.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-4-Chris-Sorenson-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-4-Chris-Sorenson.jpg 1067w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-5-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-132337\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-5-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-5-Chris-Sorenson-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-5-Chris-Sorenson-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-5-Chris-Sorenson-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-5-Chris-Sorenson-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-5-Chris-Sorenson.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-6-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-132339\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-6-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-6-Chris-Sorenson-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-6-Chris-Sorenson-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-6-Chris-Sorenson-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-6-Chris-Sorenson-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-6-Chris-Sorenson.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-white-color has-black-background-color has-text-color has-background has-small-font-size\">Once Vetne starts the metal pointing process, a piece can take up to four months to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vetne often has politics on her mind, and those themes emerge in her art as well. In <em>The Hunt<\/em>, a cologne bottle in the shape of a Julius Caesar bust, a silver meat tenderizer, porcelain flowers, and a sharp seafood fork surround the toppled figure of a soldier on horseback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Hunt<\/em> tells the story of a fallen empire through a chaotic composition that suggests an ending. The flowers could be those thrown onstage after a performance\u2014or left atop a grave. \u201cMy work is very metaphorical for current ideologies and their failures,\u201d Vetne says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignwide has-background-dim\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-132340\" alt=\"\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-7-Chris-Sorenson.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-7-Chris-Sorenson.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-7-Chris-Sorenson-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-7-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-7-Chris-Sorenson-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-7-Chris-Sorenson-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-7-Chris-Sorenson-600x800.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container\">\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Traditional Methods<\/em><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Each of Vetne\u2019s pieces has two beginnings: there is the collection of objects\u2014which can take years to amass\u2014and then the creation of art from them. She seeks items with a certain provenance, like Capodimonte porcelain and Fenton Art Glass. Other objects, like the Caesar bottle, catch her eye as she browses. \u201cI spend a lot of time plugging random things into eBay and seeing what pops up,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her acquisitions sit on a studio shelf until she decides how to incorporate them into her work. Two years ago, Vetne purchased a glass cologne bottle shaped like a gun. \u201cI don\u2019t know what to do with this, but I love it,\u201d she says. \u201cIt speaks to so many interesting parts of our social conditioning and culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vetne stages her scenes on a fold-up table in her Brooklyn, N.Y., studio. She takes photographs, adjusts lighting, shifts objects, and photographs again until she\u2019s happy. Then she projects the final photo onto a wall to determine scale. She tends to work slightly larger than life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, Vetne prepares her surface. She adheres a layer of cotton muslin to a wood panel and then, after prepping a premixed chalk gesso\u2014similar to the one she learned to make at CFA\u2014she brushes up to a dozen layers onto the panel and sands it smooth. She likes creating her surface in a traditional way, rather than working with a store-bought ground. \u201cIt feels like a piece of marble and has almost a luminescence to it,\u201d she says of the finished panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-thirds-1-1-1\">\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-7-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-132340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-7-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-7-Chris-Sorenson-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-7-Chris-Sorenson-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-7-Chris-Sorenson-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-7-Chris-Sorenson-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-7-Chris-Sorenson.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-8-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-132341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-8-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-8-Chris-Sorenson-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-8-Chris-Sorenson-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-8-Chris-Sorenson-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-8-Chris-Sorenson-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-8-Chris-Sorenson.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-132342\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-white-color has-black-background-color has-text-color has-background has-small-font-size\">Vetne is inspired by opulence laced with a thread of unease, like \u201ca dinner party where something has gone wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After projecting her source image on the panel to trace an outline, Vetne is ready to draw. She uses a stylus that holds a short piece of gold wire. The metal is so hard, she can work for several months without filing the tip. She prefers gold because it creates cold gray lines that don\u2019t oxidize or tarnish to a warm hue the way silverpoint does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her drawings, rendered in minute detail with thousands of thin lines, have a distinct look. \u201cYou have a very limited value range, so no matter how hard you press, your marks are never going to get really dark,\u201d Vetne says. To add shading, she uses a homemade brush\u2014a wad of aluminum wool stuffed into the end of a metal tube. Sometimes, to create heavier lines and darker shadows, she uses graphite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMetal makes a delicate, luminous line quality like no other,\u201d she says. \u201cMetalpoint drawings have a little bit of a glow to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignwide has-background-dim\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-132342\" alt=\"\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-600x800.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container\">\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><meta charset=\"utf-8\"><em>A Mysterious Process<\/em><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite metalpoint\u2019s centuries-long history, few artists continue to practice the form. \u201cThere\u2019s a very small community, there\u2019s a few books,\u201d Vetne says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A couple of years ago, she lost two weeks of work when a drawing just vanished. \u201cI rendered the whole object, then I left the drawing for a couple of weeks to work on a different one,\u201d she says. When she returned to it, she found a ghost of her original drawing on the chalk gesso ground. It took a year to solve the mystery. Eventually, she tracked down a former conservator at the British Museum who cracked the case: Vetne had drawn with a nickel-silver blend that included copper. \u201cCopper can oxidize to a few different colors. It can turn green, as on the Statue of Liberty,\u201d she says. \u201cOr it can turn translucent white.\u201d She hasn\u2019t made that mistake again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote magazine-block-bu-pullquote is-style-modern has-image has-image-focus-center-middle\"><div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote-inner\"><blockquote><div class=\"container-lockup\"><div class=\"container-icon-outer\"><div class=\"container-icon-inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" class=\"bu-blocks-background wp-image-132342\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2026\/07\/Katherine-Vetne-Luminous-Details-9-Chris-Sorenson-600x800.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-text\"><hr\/><div class=\"quote-sizing\">\u201cMetal makes a delicate, luminous line quality like no other. Metalpoint drawings have a little bit of a glow to them.&#8221;<\/div><footer class=\"caption\"><br\/><meta charset=\"utf-8\"\/>Katherine Vetne (CFA&#8217;09)<\/footer><hr\/><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s not a ton of information out there to help you figure out why this wild, unpredictable thing happened to your drawing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">Vetne\u2019s process is painstaking and time-consuming. She estimates she spends one to four months on each piece. \u201cI joke that I have a toxic relationship with my artwork, but I keep coming back to this way of working,\u201d she says. \u201cI love the way images look when they\u2019re built up slowly over time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<section class=\"wp-block-editorial-collection-billboard magazine-block-editorial-collection-billboard\">\n\n\t\t<h3 class=\"collection-billboard-intro-title\">This Series<\/h3>\n\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-article\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"collection-billboard-media\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"collection-navigation-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2024\/11\/24-1397-GARDEN-036-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/11\/24-1397-GARDEN-036-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/11\/24-1397-GARDEN-036-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/11\/24-1397-GARDEN-036-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/11\/24-1397-GARDEN-036-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/11\/24-1397-GARDEN-036-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/11\/24-1397-GARDEN-036-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/11\/24-1397-GARDEN-036-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/11\/24-1397-GARDEN-036-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2024\/11\/24-1397-GARDEN-036.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"collection-billboard-media-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2025\/color-garden\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-billboard-media-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>CFA in Bloom<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"collection-billboard-content\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-small-title\">Also in<\/h4>\n\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"collection-billboard-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/collections\/process\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-billboard-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>Process<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"collection-billboard-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"collection-billboard-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-date\">June 9, 2024<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2024\/the-costume-engineer\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-card-article-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>The Costume Engineer<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"collection-billboard-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-date\">January 10, 2024<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2024\/accidental-filmmaker-cecile-fontaine\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-card-article-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>The Accidental Filmmaker<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"collection-billboard-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-date\">June 28, 2023<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2023\/comics-animator-jeff-wamester\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-card-article-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Super Animator<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/collections\/process\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-billboard-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>Series home<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/article>\n\n\t<\/section>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We just made some little marks,\u201d says Vetne (\u201909). \u201cAnd I fell in love.\u201d Metalpoint predates the invention of pencils. Medieval artists sketched with metal on parchment, and the practice thrived during the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci\u2019s Bust of a Warrior, which he drew with silver on prepared paper, remains a classic of the art [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14125,"featured_media":132319,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[],"bu-publication":[191],"magazine-article-category":[],"magazine-topic":[460],"news-article-category":[],"news-topic":[],"bu_edition":[457],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/132315"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132315"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/132315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132519,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/132315\/revisions\/132519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132315"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=132315"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-article-category?post=132315"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-topic?post=132315"},{"taxonomy":"news-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-article-category?post=132315"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=132315"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=132315"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=132315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}