Because of my involvement with this Ancient Egyptian Part Two pigment project, I feel a connection and fascination with the current events in Egypt. It is both horrifying and mesmerizing to watch things unfold from day to day. During my two years of research and studies since traveling there and seeing so many sacred places, I have become … [Read more...] about Current Events
Margret's Blog
Vandalism Along the Nile
This stunning figure depicts King Tut on the back of a leopard. It is one of the priceless artifacts damaged by vandals in the recent unrest in Egypt. The figure seems to have been connected with incidents of the passage of the king through the underworld. The leopard is black, the color of darkness, but it would have been inappropriate to depict … [Read more...] about Vandalism Along the Nile
More Mummy Tales
Many followers of this blog often ask if I had ever read anything about a pigment called, mummy yellow, or mummy brown. Well, I have, and this is probably the most bizarre and creepy pigment story yet. In her book, Colors, Anne Verichon says that in ancient Egypt mummy yellow was sacred because it was made from real mummies. In the embalming … [Read more...] about More Mummy Tales
Irresistible
The combination of malachite with azurite makes the most luscious pigment, and I just can't resist using lots of it. This detail shows a small jar in one of the new paintings in the Part ll project. … [Read more...] about Irresistible
Details Please
This detail of the same painting shows a chunk of malachite similar to those found in the Egyptian rooms at the Smithsonian. I thought it fitting to portray the mineral as the ancients would have found it before it was ground into a pigment. … [Read more...] about Details Please
From the Vizier’s Studio
This detail of one of the finished Part ll Project paintings shows how the vizier's paintbox might have looked in his studio. The colors in the box, red iron oxide, malachite, yellow, and black were all used in my painting just has he most likely would have used. Writings below the box are on papyrus. … [Read more...] about From the Vizier’s Studio