Several months ago when I first learned about this Dutch exhibit, my first thought was “how splendid that it is coming to the United States”……then, I thought, “3 cities?”…….AND Portland is one of them. I will be able to go many times during the 3 months of the exhibit because Portland is where I live. As time went on I began to think about it in a different way. Why not really take advantage of these masterpieces and do something completely Out of the Paintbox!
At heart I am simply a mad scientist, madly cooking up smelly concoctions, or wildly smooshing dry pigment and linseed oil into paint. So my plan…..soon to be project….became a perfect way to spend a winter.
In a nutshell, my project has become this. I propose to examine the Dutch masterpieces, select 10 of the ones I like best, then research each individual painting’s color palette. I will be able to determine fairly closely what pigments were used because of what was available during the 17th Century. Then comes the real work. Over this next winter, my plan is to paint 10 paintings in my personal style using my subject matter, based on the color palettes of these works of art from the Rijksmuseum. And I must use only the pigments (which I will hand grind) that were available at that time. A daunting challenge. First, I must go to Dayton where the exhibit begins September 24th.