Those of you who have followed this blog know of my passion for historical pigments that have quirky legends attached to them, the quirkier the better. Indeed, there are some mighty bizarre tales related to the making of colors, painting techniques, and stories of strange artists themselves. Well, stack lead white is a color that is … [Read more...] about Creme d la creme of White Pigments – Part l
Historical Pigments
A Basilisk and a Rooster Walked into a Bar
Many of the quirkiest stories I have told have been right here in this blog during my Lessons from the Low Countries series. Remember the one about the red haired man and the basilisk? If you recall, a basilisk is the legendary reptile, hatched by a serpent (or toad, depending on the source) from a rooster’s egg, and is so revolting, if it gazes … [Read more...] about A Basilisk and a Rooster Walked into a Bar
Spider Woman Meets Wedding Planner
The first painting in this Southwest themed project, Lessons from the Spider Woman, is finished. The entire painting, actual title, and size will be revealed as time draws closer to the exhibit date. My artistic license is used lavishly here not only in the Spider Woman mythology but also in the imaginative depiction of the story. Spider Woman is … [Read more...] about Spider Woman Meets Wedding Planner
The World Over
One enduring concept has become clear to me during my years of historical pigment research. The colors used in world cultures throughout the ages are many of the very same pigments. The earth itself over thousands of centuries has created a harmonious palette of archival and readily available colors to create some of the most beautiful and enduring … [Read more...] about The World Over
Festival of Panathenaea
Well, here is the great unveiling. For the past many months, this 30x30 stretch of canvas has been my labor of love. After much research into topics for use as a theme, the Festival of Panathenaea became an easy choice because the possibilities for subject matter were so colorful, plentiful, and titillating. As mentioned before, … [Read more...] about Festival of Panathenaea
Uber Umber
There are several colors I could not do without on my palette. This is a splendid very dark burnt umber from Cypress. It is very dark almost black with a warm undertone and is easy to make. There are many versions of this pigment, but this dark one is my favorite. One terrific and useful characteristic of this pigment is the drying quality; … [Read more...] about Uber Umber