A very successful artist/teacher once told me, "an artist is like a magician." If we place the right color in the right place at the right time, magically a splendid image will appear. Well, I would add one more component to the magician. That is the art of juggling. Magically we manage to paint our passion and juggle life's other … [Read more...] about A Year of Magical Painting
Pigments: Historical and Modern
There is a distinct difference between modern day pigments and the natural pigments used prior to the middle of the 1700s. In the past, artists had apprentices who ground the colors for them throughout the oil painting sessions. Because they were made by hand, the pigments retained a natural grittiness and consistency with larger particle size. Today's oil paint manufacturers make synthetic colors in huge vats where the end result is exceptional smoothness. Prior to the middle of the 1700, natural pigments came from dirt, minerals, and even plants.