Egg Tempera

Perhaps you have read about some of the famous artists who use egg tempera and wondered what egg tempera is and how it is different from the simple tempera paints used by fledgling artists. If so, you are not alone. Egg tempera is a unique type of painting material. Today, popularity of the material is not widespread, but it was the most widely used material before the advent of quality oil paints. For those artists who have embraced it, artists of both old and contemporary times, there is no media that begins to approach the look of that achieved with egg tempera. It is rich, exceedingly permanent paint that can be applied in opaque or translucent layers. Two of the most recognized egg tempera artists of contemporary times are Marc Chagall (1887-1985) and Andrew Wyeth (1917- ).

There are a few commercially made egg temperas in tube form that follow the standards and formulation of the classic egg tempera used by artists since the Renaissance. Considering that most of the religious panels painted between the 12th and 15th centuries were done in egg tempera, those formulas have a rich history. These prepared egg tempera paints work well with acrylic gessoed panels.

Contemporary artists, those that are purists, prefer to create their own mixtures of pigments for this media. There is a strong satisfaction in the actual creation of your paint, no matter what the formula might be. And with egg tempera, once you create your paint, you have to use it immediately because there are no preservatives in the mixture. Pigments used should be of the highest quality available, and a full color spectrum is available through art supply stores. Formulas vary, but there are three constants in the recipe: egg yolk, pigment and distilled water. (Simple tempera contains no yolk and doesn't require distilled water.)

To prepare the yolk for use, crack an eggshell into halves; then shift the yolk from shell to shell, removing as much of the white as possible. (Or you can use an egg separator, available in the housewares section of supermarkets or stores.) Discard the white and "dry" the yolk. One way is to carefully pool the yolk in the palm of one hand, then shift to the other palm. Dry the first palm. Shift to the dry palm, and repeat the shift/dry steps until the skin on the yolk starts to get "leathery." You can also lay the yolk onto paper toweling and carefully dry off any remaining fluid. Pinch the yolk gently between the thumb and forefinger of one hand, hold the yolk above a clean mixing/storage jar, and then pierce the yolk with a blade. Catch the yolk fluid and use it in combination with dry pigments and water to create your palette of colors.

In order for the dry pigments to mix readily with the yolk, it may be necessary to create a paste of dry pigment and distilled water and then add the yolk. This will help eliminate lumps of unmixed powder pigment. Add pigment paste in small portions to egg (equal portions of each); then add small quantities of water to create a paint of workable texture. The correct consistency is that of thick oil paint. Note: When using any dry pigments, always exercise caution - do not inhale the powder and do wear disposable gloves. When working with the paints, always wash your hands before eating or smoking.

The surface onto which you apply egg tempera needs to be "accepting" of the pigment and absorbent by nature. Oil gessoed panels work best because they grip the pigment and offer a dry surface on which to lay the yolk mixture. But this absorbency compounds the fast drying properties of the mixture, so one must work quickly. A technique used by many to overcome this fast drying is to create planes of color using hatching and crosshatching. These two application methods offer a way to achieve varied degrees of tone and depth.

Some manufacturers offer panels coated with an oil-based gesso, but they are more costly. Acrylic gesso is unsuitable for handmade egg tempera, so you may want to create your own panels on any one of several substrates. The most popular are Masonite and plywood, although historically egg tempera was done on solid wood panels. Apply oil gesso in overlapping layers, allowing each to dry between coats. Do at least three crisscrossing layers. Scrape with a sharp blade or sand the final coat smooth to remove all brush marks and to create as smooth a surface as possible. A spare utility knife blade can be scraped over the surface as can a window cleaning razor knife. Use care when scraping and try to avoid pits and cuts. NOTE: Claybord is a panel created and ready to go with a soft, smooth gessoed surface perfect for egg tempera and is available wherever art materials are sold.

Tips:

--Some pigments have a higher absorbency than others. Test your dry pigments in small batches.

--Avoid storage for more than a couple days and always place the paint in the refrigerator between painting sessions.

--Create a reference card file to record the quantities of pigment and the resulting color. Color tests created by painting grids of measured quantities of combined colors are very helpful in recapturing a tone or shade used at another time.

--As an alternative ground, use heavy watercolor paper that has been coated with two to three even coats of rabbit skin glue.

--Wash and condition brushes well between painting sessions.

The Society of Tempera Painters is dedicated to the improvement of the art of tempera painting by the interchange of the knowledge and experience of the members. See their informative web site at www.eggtempera.com.

Watercolor Contest

Strathmore has announced their spring Watercolor Contest.

Subject: Open to the entrant's discretion. Original artwork must be created on Strathmore Watercolor Paper.

Specs: Entries must be original artwork and will be judged on creativity, style, expression and use of technique. Copyrighted images or other artists' works will be disqualified. Entries are to be submitted in the form of 35mm slides. Enter as many times as you like; however, only one non-returnable slide per entry is permitted. There is NO FEE.

Rules: Finalists will be required to submit actual artwork. Submission of entry constitutes agreement that Strathmore can reproduce artwork for promotional use. Full credit will be given to the submitter. Judging is by a nationally renowned panel of artists.

Prizes: First: $1,500; Second: $750; Third: $250; five honorable mentions.

Entries: Include 35mm slide, artist's name, address, telephone number, medium used, paper used, and title of piece. Mail to: Watercolor Contest, Strathmore Artist Papers, 39 South Broad Street, Westfield, MA 01085.

Graphic Chemical & Ink Co. Printmaking, etching, blockprinting litho supplies. Silkscreen Trade Names: Perfection, Easy Wipe, Graphic, Sureset, Universal, Graphinx.

Scholarship Announced

The National Art Materials Trade Association has announced the NAMTA Art Major Scholarship Program. They will award one $2,500 scholarship to a student majoring or planning to major in the field of art, whether as an art major or an art educator. Candidates must be sponsored by a NAMTA member and must submit a letter of recommendation from that member; they must have graduated from high school or its equivalent before July 1 of the year in which they receive the scholarship; and they must be attending an accredited university, college or technical institute. Candidates will be judged on extracurricular activities, grade point average and financial need. Applications, transcripts and letters of recommendation must be in the NAMTA office before April 1, and the winner will be notified in June. See a local NAMTA member art materials retailer or call (704) 948-5554; Email: scholarship@namta.org.

Acrylic Competition

The National Acrylic Painters Association and Southeast Louisiana State University have announced NAPA USA's Fifth International Open Exhibition to be juried by Alan Flattmann, winner of many major awards including the 1996 American Artist Art Masters Award. The exhibition, demonstrations, lectures and workshops will be held on the university campus and in its art museum June 9 July 21. Open to all artists painting in acrylic; works should be at least 80% acrylic on any surface. For info, call (310) 544-6616; www.watercolor-online.com/NAPA/NextShow/NextShow.html.

Sculpture Exhibition

Chesterwood, in Stockbridge, MA, has decided that the 2001 "Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood" exhibition will include select artists from the outstanding exhibitions of 1978 through 2000. One hundred five sculptors have been invited to submit entries, and up to 50 works will be selected by a jury of experts. This year is special in that it is the 22nd and last year that Paul Ivory, Director of Chesterwood, will be involved in these acclaimed outdoor shows. The opening is scheduled for June 29.

PSA Conference

The Portrait Society of America will hold their annual conference April 26 29 in Chicago. Several accomplished artists and experts will lecture and demonstrate their approaches to the portrait. Participants will leave with a wealth of information on painting techniques, marketing plans, and business practices, as well as career-building advice. For info, call (877) 772-4321; info@portraitsociety.org.

Part 4: The Progression of Art through Egypt to Greece

Imagine what art history would be like, how lackluster, were it not for the art of Egypt. From roughly 4000 B.C. when it was conquered, Egypt was said to have possessed wonders of such number and quality as to be indescribable. Today's interest in all that is Egyptian certainly supports that theory.

The profusion of monuments, massive sculptural works, temples and tombs of unprecedented grandeur seem almost impossible to comprehend, yet Egyptian dwellings were made of inferior materials. Clearly their message was the religious structures were far more important and should exist for eternity. The timelessness of these structures characterizes the ageless art of Egypt.

Egypt was known as the Kingdom of Two Lands, referring to Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. It was a physical and political division; the upper land was dry and rocky and maintained a rustic culture, while the lower land was opulent and urban. Great conflict emerged until around 3000 B.C., when the art of the time began to reflect a gradual change. The images began to depict Kings who now were shown as divine and of equal importance to gods. This marked a change in the fundamentals of politics and religion and began to create an idealistic form and structure in art.

Architecture of the time concentrated on the construction of tombs, their permanence and timeless symbolism. The Stepped Pyramid of King Zoser was completed in about 2750 B.C., and the great pyramids at Giza were completed between 2680 B.C. and 2260 B.C. One question often asked is whether or not the pyramids would ever have come to be had it not been for the Egyptians' religious need to create an everlasting shrine. But from an art history point of view, the reason is far less important than the actual structures themselves. Building the structures of nearly solid masses of limestone, which were quarried miles away and floated across the Nile during flood season, seems like an almost impossible feat. Stones were then shaped by a mason and numbered in red ink, with the number representing the placement of the stone in construction. Each corner of the largest pyramid at Giza, Khufu (or Cheops), is situated exactly on one of the four points of the compass. These were awesome feats no matter when they were constructed.

Painting and sculpture complemented the architecture for which they were designed. Sculpture of the time is reflected in the popular image of everything from the Great Sphinx to thousands of other more human likenesses. The method used for most Egyptian sculpture was subtractive - working away the excess stone - and accounts for the block-like look of most statues of the time. Relief sculpture and painting were also practiced and seemed to echo that same stiffness and formality in design. But the purpose of these works was more to document and elevate those depicted. Pottery continued this same depiction of daily routines and events in a graphic yet somewhat flat style.

As the power of Egypt began to slip, Greece and Grecian art began to rise. For the Greeks, the order of both nature and reason was beauty. The intellectual process became a part of the creative process, and the "good life" was entwined with all that was cultural, social and political. Man was regarded as the highest creation and value in nature. It was the Greeks who created the natural image of man in art, an honoring of the individual.

The landscape differences - Egypt with its long, horizontal line and Greece with its diversified geography helped change the art as well. Nature worship became personified and gods assumed human form. Athens in many ways became the symbol of Greek culture. We think of masterpieces of Greek art as being temples and statues but not paintings. This is because temples and paintings still exist in some form, but not one painting has survived.

The art of Greece is more an embrace of older civilizations that were embellished with contemporary motifs and ideas. Greeks acknowledged their adaptation from others and melded it into the style and form we now consider so much a part of this time period. The stylized beauty of Greek sculpture, the form and design of the pottery, jewelry and glass, and the architecture clearly have had a lasting impact on the world of art.

Youth Art Month

Youth Art Month celebrates its fortieth anniversary this month. Created originally as Children's Art Month in 1961 by The Crayon, Water Color & Craft Institute (now the Art & Creative Materials Institute) in cooperation with the National Art Education Association, it was expanded in 1969 to include secondary school students and, hence, became Youth Art Month. Many schools and communities have planned projects and events to emphasize the value of participating in art for all children.

Easter Project

Wouldn't you like to make this Easter a special time for all your friends and family? One way is to create gifts or mementos to give everyone as a special celebration. When most people think about Easter, they envision baskets brimming with Easter eggs in bright colors. Eggs are fun to decorate, but don't last very long, and require refrigeration. Imagine if you had eggs you could paint, glitter, texture and display, eggs that would not spoil and could be used year after year to decorate your home or the homes of your friends and family.

These decorative eggs can be easy to create using materials available at all art supply centers. Simple paints, pens, markers, and stickers--things you might already have--work very well. Art supply centers sell egg shapes in a variety of materials, so search around for what looks like the most fun to you.

Choices in egg shapes include cast plaster, wood, Styrofoam, papier-mache, or the familiar plastic eggs used to hold candies and treats. Any of these can be decorated with a variety of materials to yield beautiful decorative eggs to display each Easter season.

Plaster and wooden eggs can be easily painted with watercolors, felt-tipped markers, or acrylics. Begin by sanding the surface smooth with fine sand paper. Wipe away any dust from the sanding and then apply your paints. After the paint is dry, add glitter or stickers, and then seal with a clear spray lacquer to create a shiny, durable finish.

Styrofoam shapes are best decorated with tissue paper strips glued to the surface with white glue. Overlap strips, colors mixed or the same, to cover the shape. After these are thoroughly dry, seal with a spray sealer.

Papier-mache eggs have a rich, rough paper texture and can be decorated with any water media--watercolor, acrylic, and markers--or even stickers. Or if you are brave, why not attempt to create "golden" eggs. Brush on a smooth layer of white glue over the entire egg shape and allow to dry. Then, working in small sections, apply recycled "gold leaf" (foil candy wrappers). These often have a rich, dull gold color with added texture for interest. You can use small scraps to cover any gaps between foil coverage.

The old stand-bys--plastic eggs--are fun to change from their usual duty into more sophisticated designs. Consider using decorative tapes and stickers, or scrub the surface with sandpaper to give it some tooth. Then spray paint the shapes. They are then ready for more decoration--glitter, stamps, stickers, and tapes all do very well.

This year you can pretend that you are the Easter Bunny by making and sharing your creations with others.

Exhibit Featured

The Discovery Museum in Bridgeport, CT, is featuring "The Imagination Highway The Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration" through May 27. Organized by the New Britain Museum of American Art, the exhibit includes 36 original works of art by 18 artists whose work represents the best in current children's book illustrations. The art was chosen for its rich imaginative content and cultural and geographic diversity. The books are displayed next to the artwork so the story can be discovered with the art. The artworks and books are exhibited in fantasy environments, and there are activity centers in various locations of the museum that reflect themes in the books, including an Imagine Diner with stools and fantasy play food, Imagine City that is a great place to sit and read a book, and cloud banners that evoke artist David Wiesner's illustrations. Call (203) 372-3521 for more information.

National Gallery of Art

At the NGA, a family workshop, "Alfred Stieglitz and Modern Art in America," will be held March 11 and April 8 at 1:00p.m. Stieglitz helped introduce modern art to an American audience. Participants will follow a tour of this exhibition that includes painting, sculpture and photography, and then create their own work of art. A second workshop, "Seventeenth-Century Dutch Art," is offered March 4 and 18 at 1:00p.m. Participants will step back in time to the 1600's and visit Holland through the eyes (and art) of Dutch painters. A tour of the Gallery's 17C. Dutch painting collection will be followed by a hands-on activity. Ages 8-12; pre-registration required.

Now on the National Gallery Web site, www.nga.gov, is NGAkids, which features six adventures with works of art from the Gallery's collection, along with an animated musical tale called "Lizzy and Gordon Visit the Sculpture Garden." At this site kids can make a headdress, play hide-and-seek in a 19C. studio, or explore shark-laden seas with John Singleton Copley. Here you will also find family-oriented resources, events, and publications suitable for children of all ages.

2001 Catalog Announced

American Art Clay Co., Inc., has announced that the new 2001 catalog is now available for distribution. In addition to displaying AMACO products and equipment, the four-color catalog showcases dozens of artworks by artists and students throughout the country who use AMACO products. The cover features a kaleidoscope of teapots created by ceramic artists that were selected from those featured on an AMACO poster. Also included in the catalog are the works of ceramic artists who participated in the annual AMACO symposium, Glaze Storm.

New products and equipment recently added to the extensive line include an 18.2 cubic foot Excel 1850SF kiln, ten new Old World Crackle Glaze Colors, 12 Stone Texture glazes, a new set of Tube Underglaze Decorating Colors, ceramic instructional posters, books, and new art and craft products. Genesis Artist Colors, the fine art paint that stays wet and workable until it is heat-set, are also featured. Five new colors have been added to the Genesis line along with other new painting products.

To receive a copy of this useful and informative catalog, call or write AMACO, 4717 W. Sixteenth St., Indianapolis, IN 46222; (800) 374-1600.

Teaching an Airbrush Workshop

With the resurgence of interest in airbrush technique, there have been many successful airbrush workshops presented throughout the U.S. over the last year or so. (For a listing of future classes, go to http://www.arttalk.Com/workshop/airbrushworkshop.htm.) Airbrushing has attained new life in the computer age because of its accepted use in many different fields--fine art, illustration, fabric art, taxidermy, models, hobbies, crafts, etc.

No matter what the application may be, the method in which you learn the fundamentals of airbrush technique remains the same. Classes that are not advanced--basic and intermediate--are the most popular. Any artist who is knowledgeable and accomplished in airbrush technique can teach this curriculum and thus add it to his/her resume.

Following is a basic guideline for those who wish to present airbrush classes with a minimal amount of logistical hassle.

1. Space -- You need an adequate space in which to teach an airbrush class. In addition to room for students to work (two students per six-foot table equals one work station), there must be space for the equipment required, i.e., compressors or CO2 tanks, hoses and regulators. For example, a 500 square foot space works well for a class of sixteen students and would include a head table for the instructor and four rows of two tables each, plus chairs. There must also be adequate electric to operate compressors (if used), lighting, ventilation (use fans, if need be), ready access to water, and a good supply of paper towels.
2. Equipment -- To outfit the students in the classroom, they should be set up at workstations in units of two. Each station should contain a double airbrush holder with a regulator and two attachments for airbrushes, one for each student. Provide a table easel with a backing board to hold exercises as well as a frisket knife, frisket film, pre-reduced airbrush color, and, preferably, a gravity feed dual-action, internal-mix airbrush for each student. These are the best airbrushes to teach with because they are the easiest to keep clean and will accommodate either left- or right-handed users. (To start, it is recommended that you keep it simple by using black paint on white paper.) Air hoses with quick disconnects attach one work station to the next, and an air hose is then used to attach the air source to the work station hoses, thus supplying air to each workstation. Students at the stations will have the ability to individually regulate the air pressure to their liking.
3. Class Structure -- Airbrush classes, because of their nature, can have a tendency to easily spin out of control. When teaching airbrush technique, it must be done in a very structured manner, so be sure to prepare a class outline or lesson plan in advance. Remember that when teaching a basic class, the instructor must bring the level to that of the novice so that everyone understands what is transpiring. In addition, it is best to work on preplanned, if not preprinted, exercises. Make sure that a beginner can complete the exercises in the assigned amount of time. Students have a sense of pride when they leave an airbrush class with final projects in hand that look good (not to mention amazement at the effects this tool can help them to achieve).
4. Pricing -- Airbrush workshops usually run three, six, or twelve hours (two days) in length and are priced accordingly. Tuition ranges from $65 to $500, depending on the length of time, the instructor, and where the class is held.

Teaching airbrush technique can be an extremely rewarding experience. By slowly guiding students through the fundamentals of using this unique tool, you can see the look of awe on their faces when a simple geometric shape almost magically transpires to be photographically round. But, in addition to airbrush techniques, students also learn how to work with values and shapes, cast shadows, and develop compositions. The airbrush soon becomes an additional tool to use with confidence whenever it is needed in creating their artwork.

Nomination Made--Ed Harris has received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of artist Jackson Pollock in the movie "Pollock." Harris directed the film, as well.

Collection Purchased--The Phillips auction house has purchased a collection of 19C. paintings and drawings consisting of five works by Cézanne and two by van Gogh. The prized collection will begin Phillips' auction of Impressionist and modern art in New York on May 7.

Work Rescued--Mixed Greens, an arts organization, has rescued a 16-foot-high mosaic dinosaur from demolition at Bellevue Hospital, where officials did not wish to relocate it to the new therapeutic garden. Created by recovering alcoholics, the work- in-progress will be in temporary storage until a permanent home is found.

Custody Battle Settled--Farewell to bank vaults and safe deposit boxes! After a two-year custody battle, a federal judge has ruled that the marionette star of The Howdy Doody show will come out of storage to make his permanent home with the Detroit Institute of Arts. The family of a puppeteer on the show, which ran from 1947 to 1960, had claimed custody and planned to sell Howdy through a Manhattan auction house. Some of Howdy's new companions will be Punch and Judy, Kermit the Frog, and other puppets in the museum's collection.

New Partnership Established--New York's Guggenheim, Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum and Russia's State Hermitage Museum have entered into a three-way alliance. This new partnership will enable an exchange of exhibitions, collaboration of staffs and the sharing of other resources.

Record Prices Set--Christie's recent two-day auction of mementoes that once belonged to Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife realized more than $2.7 million in sales. A silver-framed print of an oil portrait of the former president sold for over $76,000--a record sale for a 20C. inscribed photograph; and "Amber Light," a 1933 painting by Jonas Lie of FDR's yacht, was top draw at $149,000.

Construction Fund Bolstered--The Corcoran Gallery of Art has received a whopping $30 million donation from two AOL executives and their spouses to be used toward the construction of a planned addition designed by architect Frank Gehry. The new space will house classes, administrative offices, expanded galleries and a conservation lab.

Exhibitions

Chadds Ford, PA -- Brandywine River Museum - "The Frame in America" features more than 100 picture frames made in the U.S. during an extremely prolific and creative period of American frame design. While many are based on European precedents, others represent a departure in aesthetic conception. Through March 18.

Los Angeles, CA -- J. Paul Getty Museum -- "Drawing the Landscape: 1500-1800" explores artist's depictions of the landscape in drawings spanning the Renaissance to the Romantic era. Highlights include Titian's "Pastoral Scene" and Rembrandt's "Landscape with the House with the Little Tower." Through April 15.

New Orleans, LA -- New Orleans Museum of Art -- "Judy Chicago--Trials and Tributes" is the first comprehensive retrospective of this artist and writer's career and represents her landmark achievements and recent works. Through April 1.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL -- Museum of Art -- On March 1, MOA opened the doors to a $2.2 million renovation and expansion, which created a new wing and permanent home for their collection of art by renowned American Impressionist William Glackens. "The Art of William Glackens" may be viewed March 1 August.

New York City -- MoMA -- "Van Gogh's Postman: The Portraits of Joseph Roulin" includes five paintings and two drawings of this postal employee who fascinated van Gogh and was so important in his life in the South of France. Through May 15.

Washington, DC -- NGA -- "Modern Art and America: Alfred Stieglitz and His New York Galleries" includes 175 paintings, sculptures, photos, and works on paper and is the first exhibition to fully explore Stieglitz' seminal role in the development of modern art in America. Through April 22.

Philadelphia, PA -- Philadelphia Museum of Art -- "Alice Neel" is one of a series showcasing distinguished artists associated with Philadelphia in Celebration of the Museum's 125th anniversary. Included are 75 paintings and watercolors, many of which have never before been shown. Through April 15.

March Birthdays

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Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 11 No. 5 -- March 2001