A reader wrote last week confused about the differences between the shades of raw sienna and burnt sienna. As you can see by the image here, not only are the shades different from pigment to pigment but also from supplier to supplier. The five samples shown here are the ones I use on my palette. On the left is the pigment in its pure form with … [Read more...] about Raw Sienna Review
pigments
The Sun, the Moon , and Burnt Sienna
Burnt Sienna is an extraordinarily versatile and useful pigment. In use since antiquity, the siennas sometimes are grouped into the "brown" category, but they are far from plain old brown. With their iron oxide ingredients, they range from rich earthy reds to foreboding darks. In earlier times, sienna was found in Siena, Italy and was … [Read more...] about The Sun, the Moon , and Burnt Sienna
Blue Bandeau
Blue Bandeau 10x9 Oil on Linen SOLD © 2008 Margret E. Short After all these many months of using the historical pigments exclusively, I am consistently amazed at how easy it is to get a harmonious color theme. By using just these few colors on my palette makes the decisions so easy. There is just no … [Read more...] about Blue Bandeau
Sea Snail Masterpiece
Since embarking on this project, I have researched many publications with specific information about pigments and their history. Much is known today about pigments of the past because of scholars such as those in the Rembrandt Research Project (RRP). This committee set about to discover and determine which of Rembrandt's paintings were authentic … [Read more...] about Sea Snail Masterpiece
The Golden Age Completed
The Golden Age, 12 by 12, oil on linen. Well, here is the final lap....done...ready to frame and ship to Dayton. As you can see from this image, the painting morphed slightly from the first stage of the composition shown in the first 2 canvases. The background looked a little too vacant so I added a shiny brass Turkish teapot and the lace doily … [Read more...] about The Golden Age Completed
Chiaroscuro…Lights and Darks
Throughout this past spring and summer I began contacting the Dayton Art Institute to inquire about dates, catalogues, and accomodations. To my delight, not only am I going to Dayton to preview the Rijksmuseum Exhibit, but I have been invited to do a presentation to demonstrate my style of painting which is the Dutch technique of chiaroscuro. My … [Read more...] about Chiaroscuro…Lights and Darks