| RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CSO-EGG TEMPERA MEDIUM I thank readers for their patience as I developed this medium and gesso. Below are the steps leading to the development beginning in Dec. 2009. I studied the past to develop an effective FAST DRYING modern medium using ancient archival materials. My research sought out information on cave paintings far older than those of the Renaissance. Some cave paintings have been tested to be 40,000 years old. The oldest binders of paint are MILK, EGG, GLUE, and natural tree exudates such as GUMS and RESINS, as well as GLUES from boiling animal skins. Any sticky substance, that can be mixed with powders creates a PAINT and can be applied to a wall or almost any surface. Because oil paints dry relatively slowly, Renaissance artists of the 14th through the 16th centuries sought a faster drying medium. Egg tempera is the fastest drying ancient medium but Realism is difficult to obtain with egg tempera. Some artists of the period combined egg and oil into am Emulsion, or, underpainted in egg and overpainted in oils. Modern artists of today have the same needs and concerns. The real issue of any paint is its PERMANENCE. Unfortunately, I was informed by an expert [see below] that modern science has done little to analyze the binders used in the Cave paintings. The few published results are debatable or inconclusive. Some contemporary artists have made many tests with a variety of binders. I do not have faith in test results or theories from recent testing of a few years time. No one knows the changing conditions of these caves over a 40,000 year time period. Yet, modern theories are interesting. One artist believes human urine was one possible binder. Another artist believes cave water rich in calcium carbonate was also used. Historians tell us the cave painting were not done by one artist but evolved over thousands of years with frequent over paints on existing paintings. This leads us to believe the binders were of many kinds. 40,000 years is quite a long time to try to reconstruct any paint layer. We do know LIMESTONE CAVES are calcium carbonate. The CSO oil painting method uses calcium carbonate powder as an important component that guarantees permanence. My previous creation and formulation of CALCITE SUN OIL, provided me with new ideas as I experimented in developing a FAST DRYING UNDERPAINTING MEDIUM FOR OIL PAINTING. This led to a new gesso procedure and formula. READ BELOW FOR RESEARCH INFORMATION ON PREHISTORIC CAVE ART ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* THE ‘CSO-EGG GESSO’ - DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW GESSO DO NOT USE ACRYLIC GESSO WITH THE CSO-EGG TEMPERA MEDIUM Like most oil painters I have used acrylic gesso because it is convenient. It is not GENUINE traditional gesso like that of the Old Masters that has proven archival for more than 600 years. We do not know the permanence of ACRYLIC gesso. But it is inexpensive and convenient and it can be applied to walls, canvas and wood panels. Acrylic gesso is made of modern synthetic white glue mixed with one or more of a variety of dry powders such as marble dust. It dries by evaporation and when dry can be brilliantly white. I did not make traditional Gesso panels like the Old Masters until late in life. Many recipes can be found and they vary little. Basically it is a hot animal skin glue mixed with Calcium Carbonate Chalk, or Gypsum. The 15 century master Cennini gave detailed instructions on how to gesso a wood panel. Later artists made changes to his recipe. Cennini’s procedure was labor and time consuming. One reason was because he did not have modern flat plywood like we do, nor did he have electric planers to smooth out the wood surface. Even with modern materials, my gesso panels have not turned out perfectly. I cut corners to speed up the finish. My research found the scientific analysis of one Rembrandt painting on wood. He first applied a glue to seal the wood again the oil paint. He then applied ONE thin gesso layer to cover the brown wood and to create a brilliant white surface. He then applied a single thin coat of oil paint made of some black some lead white and umber [ umber accelerates the drying]. This pale translucent warm gray oil layer was applied thinly. It served as a sealant to the very thin white very absorbent gesso. On this simple preparation, Rembrandt painted that painting. One thing you frequently see in Old Master paintings, IF they used a thin gesso, is the grain of the wood. I believed that if Rembrandt could deviate from Cennini’s laborious multi layered gesso panels, I could too. As much as I dislike applying the gesso, I dislike the dry powder dust from sanding even more. So I do not sand. Therefore I settle for a mildly textured gesso as the primer coat for my oil paintings. Development of the CSO-EGG TEMPERA medium led me to develop the CSO-EGG GESSO, based on egg and not glue. Years ago, an experienced masonry worker taught me how to apply stucco on my home so it would be permanent. The first requirement is to create a waterproof barrier so moisture will not enter the home. Second, a wire mesh is attached , so the wet stucco has a place to grab onto. The first coat of the stucco is made very very thick and it is applied roughly with a trowel. On drying, it cracks, splits and breaks. The next coat of plaster is almost as thick and is called the ‘ scratch’ coat. It too is applied with a trowel but it is made more smooth and level. While this coat is wet, it is scratched with a tool that looks like a comb to create ridges that will hold the next coat. After the ‘scratch’ coat dries a thinner stucco is applied smoothly. When it dries, a liquid thin layer of fine stucco is brushed on with a wide bristle brush. **************************************************************************************************** FINAL COAT OF ANY OIL PAINTING [ this is a permanent layer - not a removable film like a resin varnish] Once the Oil Painting is completed. Allow it to dry a week. For a more matte surface, apply a very thin coat of the well beaten WHOLE EGG [ yolk and clear] with vinegar For a Satin finish, apply a coat of GLAIR, with no vinegar mixed. For a more shiny surface, apply a coat of YOLK mixed with vinegar as directed above. The use of EGG or EGG GLAIR AS A FINAL VARNISH ON OIL PAINTINGS is not new. It has been used throughout history. The 17th century DeMayerne manuscript gives contradictory opinions of the use of GLAIR as a FINAL COAT of an oil painting. These contradictory opinions leave us without a guide to make a solid decision. Modern science states that all VARNISHES discolor, whether synthetic or natural substances. RESINS become YELLOW and crack and are high glossy, while EGG dries with a soft satin finish and becomes cool in tone. Both remain transparent and not opaque. One can also 'oil out' the entire surface with the VISCOUS EMULSION. This is my favorite method. I routinely apply an ultra thin, well rubbed in application of the VISCOUS EMULSION [ described in my book] on my dried finished oil paintings. DISCLAIMER . Please experiment with this information at your own choice and risk. These materials of EGG, and SUN OIL and CALCIUM CARBONATE have been proven to be archival, dating back centuries. I developed these new methods from practical work and researching and learning from the past. EGG is just as durable a binder as the GLUE used in traditional gesso mixtures. Milk [ casein] is another binder that is equally as durable if not more durable than either EGGS or HIDE GLUE. The chalk/ Calcium Carbonate is compatible with mixing with the egg just as chalk is with flax oil. Chalk is powdered LIMESTONE. In its natural setting, it is durable and permanent. Mixing two durable permanent materials results in another new mixture. The chalk is completely bound by the egg creating a hard sticky durable mixture. It is interesting to note that a chicken EGG YOLK AND WHITE, is surrounded by a shell made of pure CALCIUM CARBONATE. An interesting thought came to me about why Renaissance artists may have chosen GLUE instead of EGGS for making their GESSO. Could it be that EGGS, being an important food item was more valued than cheap boiled animal hides.. as well as being more scarce?? **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** RESEARCH LEADING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE “CSO-EGG TEMPERA” MEDIUM THE CAVE PAINTINGS OF ALTAMIRA AND LASCAUX AND THEIR IMPACT ON MODERN OIL PAINTING In Spain one finds the cave paintings of Altamira http://www.thenagain. info/Webchron/World/Altamira.html and nor far away, those of Lascaux in France http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/#/en/00.xml. Scientists estimate them to be between 15,000 and 40,000 years old and older. The 600 year old Van Eyck paintings pale in comparison in regards to age. The paint is made of colored natural earth pigments but the binders used are unknown or the results of tests are debatable or inconclusive. My research shows very little has been done by modern scientists to determine the binders used and the reasons given are many. We do know the most common ancient paint binders are egg, milk, glues, oils, gums and resins and any sticky substance, or mixtures of these simple ingredients. However, no synthetic acrylics, liquin, nor modern alkali refined linseed oil, nor mixtures of synthetic mediums were ever used in the cave paintings. The permanence is remarkable and adding to the great state of conservation of this paint is the SUPPORT used, being Limestone caves. Limestone is Calcium Carbonate in rigid form. The Calcite Sun Oil method of oil painting uses three ancient simple materials = flax oil, egg, calcium carbonate , which were also the same three archival ingredients used by Rembrandt, Velazquez and others. Discovered in the early 20th century, the cave paintings were made famous in this modern era. The stable paintings were protected by the natural conditions of the caves... and the darkness with its protection from ultraviolet sunrays. Once discovered, throngs of humans entered the caves and without knowing, added moisture from their respiration along with artificial lighting. These changes in the natural equilibrium of the caves caused fungi to grow and crumble the paint. Now the caves are closed to the general public. Many lessons can be learned from this. Permanent paint binder and materials is one, and the importance of conservation is another, each with complexities. Science gives us some answers. Before the perfected oil painting method of the Van Eyck’s in the late 1300's, the binding medium most used was egg. Today the Egg Tempera method is revived and taught exactly as used in the early Italian Renaissance. I have never painted with egg tempera. I do have the book from the highly regarded American painter, Ms. Koo Schadler http://www.kooschadler.com/thebook.htm. I recommend her book to those who wish to learn this beautiful archival method. Compared to her knowledge on this archival medium, I know very little and I would never argue with her on this subject. But I do know the basics. It is these basics that I write about here. The cave painters of old, did not employ the refined Renaissance technique taught in Ms. Schadler’s book. Anyone who has left egg yolk on a plate after breakfast, and has returned hours later to wash it off the non absorbent glass plate, must scrub hard. Adding hot water only increases the resistance of its removal. The extremely strong adhesion of the yolk is extraordinary. Not only that, but it dries hard within minutes, though time is required for final curing. The yolk and the egg clear are both very complex. In the Calcite Sun Oil method of oil painting, I found the NON VISCOUS limpid thin egg white, once converted to GLAIR, to be ideal for mixing with VISCOUS thick sun thickened flax oil into an extraordinary “wonder” emulsion. Yes, I did test the yolk and found it to be not advantageous for mixing with sun oil as sun oil is sufficiently viscous. The egg yolk contains a great amount of egg oil, and the egg clear hardly none. The refined method of egg tempera painting used in the Renaissance used the yolk - or- the entire egg. If the entire egg was used, no additional water additive was required. If only the yolk was used, an equal amount of water was added to liquefy the thick fast drying viscous yolk. One other requirement is needed. An ABSORBENT ground is a requirement. Acrylic gesso is not usable. An absorbent gesso made of calcium carbonate or calcium sulfate mixed with weak hide glue is required. The egg will sink into this absorbent ground and become immovable. These are the basics of the use of egg tempera. Do not forget the real meaning of the word ' Tempera". It is an Italian/Latin word meaning the mixing of a liquid [ any liquid] with a dry substance to create a paint. Egg tempera painted on top of dry oil paint is NOT permanent. Egg painted INTO a wet film of oil paint is permanent. A mixture of wet egg and wet oil emulsify together becoming one inseparable substance called an EMULSION and it is permanent. This knowledge allows artists today, to know they can create a permanent paint film when using egg and oil. ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************* RESEARCH OF CAVE ART : PART TWO In December 2009 during my research of the binders used by ancient humans, I received this letter from Dr. Paul Bahn,an expert in ancient cave art. I enclose his letter and subsequent communications for the purpose of educational advancement. {LETTER FROM DR. PAUL BAHN } Dear Mr Velasquez, the best way to answer your question is to send you the relevant text from my 1997 book "Journey Through the Ice Age" (Weidenfeld & Nicolson: London / Univ. of California Press: Berkeley), together with the relevant references -- as far as I am aware, nothing new has been published on this subject since then. Best wishes, Paul Bahn. [ From Dr. Bahn’s Book:] A different problem is the binding medium used. In the past it was often assumed that some form of fatty animal product was used for the purpose; however, a series of 205 experiments in two caves was carried out by Claude Couraud, involving a variety of pigments and binding substances (including fish glue, Arabic gum, gelatin, egg white, bovine blood, and urine), and a range of wall-types and degrees of humidity. Observation of the results and deteriorations over three years led him to the conclusion that fatty and organic substances were totally unsuitable binding agents, and fail to adhere well to humid walls. In fact, the only substance which seemed to be good at fixing and preserving the pigments on the rockface was water -- especially cave-water, which is rich in calcium carbonate, and which was probably used at Lascaux [49]. It was also found that pigments adhered better if they had been finely ground. In 1978, Cabrera Garrido's analyses at Altamira led him to suggest the possible use here of powdered fossil amber as a binder. [50] However, in some Ariège caves, recent analyses of paints, using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, have detected traces of what are thought to be oils of animal or plant origin, presumably used as a binder [51]. On portable art from Enlène and in parietal figures at Trois Frères it seems to be a plant oil, whereas parietal figures at Fontanet seem to contain an animal oil. Other sites such as the Réseau Clastres have no trace of any binder, as at Lascaux. [49] Couraud 1982, p. 4; and in Leroi- Gourhan & Allain 1979, pp. 162-4. Couraud's experiments thus confirmed the opinions of Rottländer (1965), and have recently found support in experiments by Vaquero (1995: 72-75).[50] Cabrera Garrido 1978.[51] Pepe et al 1991. [REFERENCES] CABRERA GARRIDO, J. M. 1978. Les matériaux des peintures de la grotte d'Altamira. Actes de la 5e réunion triennale de l'ICOM, Zagreb, pp. 1-9. COURAUD, C. 1982. Techniques de peintures préhistoriques: xpériences. Information Couleur 19, 3-6. LEROI-GOURHAN, Arl. & ALLAIN, J. (eds) 1979. Lascaux Inconnu. XIIe Suppl. à Gallia Préhistoire. C. N. R. S.: Paris. PEPE, C. et al 1991. Le liant des peintures préhistoriques ariégeoises. C.r. Acad. Sc. Paris 312, série II, 929-34. ROTTLÄNDER, R. 1965. Zur Frage des Pigmentbinders der Franko-Kantabrischen Höhlenmalereien. Fundamenta Reihe A, Band 2, 340-44. VAQUERO TURCIOS, J. 1995. Maestros Subterraneos. Celeste: Madrid. RESEARCH OF CAVE ART : PART THREE I responded to Dr. Bahn’s letter with comments and questions. Here is that communication with his responses. Again, the purpose is for educational advancement. Dear Mr Velasquez, thanks for your comments. It is a shame that you cannot read the references I sent you, as they are the only ones available – but presumably you can get hold of them and have them translated, if they are of such interest to you. My responses to your comments are below. Best wishes, Paul Bahn. LV=DEAR DR. BAHN, THANK YOU FOR THE VERY FINE RESPONSE. I WILL TRY TO OBTAIN YOUR BOOK. IT IS MY INTEREST AS A PAINTER THAT LED ME TO RESEARCH AND TEST INGREDIENTS FOR PAINTING. THE CAVE PAINTINGS ARE OF GREAT INTEREST, NOT ONLY FOR THEIR GREAT AESTHETIC BEAUTY, BUT ALSO FOR THEIR REMARKABLE PRESERVATION. I READ WITH INTEREST YOUR OWN ACADEMIC RESULTS THAT YOU PROVIDED ME.. AND I WILL POSSIBLY NOT BE ABLE TO READ THE WORKS OF OTHER AUTHORS EXCEPT FOR THE SPANISH LANGUAGE ONE. HERE I PASTE THE GIST OF YOUR OWN PUBLICATION, WITH MY COMMENTS. PB=A different problem is the binding medium used. LV=WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM WITH TODAY’S IMPROVED ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTS? ONE WOULD THINK EACH PAINTING, IN EACH CAVE COULD BE TESTED FOR THE BINDER USED ON THAT ONE PARTICULAR WORK-- JUST AS IT IS DONE WITH SAY...12 OR 30 REMBRANDT PAINTINGS. PB= There are actually several problems here. For a start, when cave art was first discovered, and for most of the 20th century, the only way to do pigment analysis was pretty crude, through chemical reaction, requiring sizeable samples, so it was unthinkable to damage figures in this way. Since the 1980s we have had the new techniques available -- spectrometry, even scanning, etc -- which require pinpricks of material, or even no material at all -- BUT these techniques are very expensive in terms of employing the scientists to undertake them, the lab time, the analyses, etc -- and the vast majority of archaeologists, prehistorians and cave-art specialists are not scientists but closer to art historians, and such analyses, while of some interest to them, are not often a high priority, especially in view of the cost. Testing “each painting in each cave” as you propose would be astronomical in cost -- but of course if you, or someone like you, were to offer a huge grant for this,you would be welcomed with open arms! In the past it was often assumed that some form of fatty animal product was used for the purpose; LV=THIS IS DISTRESSING, TO ASSUME. ..ACADEMICS SHOULD NOT BE ASSUMING.HOPEFULLY EACH SEPARATE IMAGE CAN BE TESTED AND DETERMINED AS TO BINDER AND PIGMENTS USED PB=Archaeology, prehistory, and even much of recent history, are made up of assumptions because our data are so incomplete. Voltaire said “all of our ancient history is accepted fiction”, and he was right. But in this case the assumption was not plucked out of thin air, but was based on what was known of modern rock artists such as Bushmen and Aborigines, who do indeed use fatty substances -- so it seemed a valid proposition that Stone Age people, tackling similar problems with a similar technology, would likely have done the same. And we had no way of checking the Ice Age pigments. however, a series of 205 experiments in two caves was carried out by Claude Couraud, involving a variety of pigments and binding substances (including fish glue, arabic gum, gelatin, egg white, bovine blood, and urine), and a range of wall- types and degrees of humidity. LV= I DO RESPECT THE DEDICATION AND HARD WORK TO DO SO MANY EXPERIMENTS WITH TODAY’S KNOWN BINDERS BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN JUST AS EASY AND MORE ACCURATE TO TAKE PARTICLES OF PAINT FROM EACH IMAGE IN EVERY CAVE, AND CATALOGUE THE RESULTS FOR FUTURE ARTISTIC STUDY. THE PROBLEM WITH CONTEMPORARY TESTING AND EXPERIMENTS ARE THE NUMEROUS VARIABLES THAT CANNOT BE EVEN DUPLICATED AS BEING IDENTICAL TO THE CONDITIONS OF THE DATE THEY WERE PAINTED. PB= In Couraud’s day the new techniques were not yet available and, even if they had been, the cost of analysing “each image in every cave” would have been prohibitive. Observation of the results and deteriorations over three years led him to the conclusion that fatty and organic substances were totally unsuitable binding agents, and fail to adhere well to humid walls. LV= I HAVE NOT VISITED THE ACTUAL CAVES. MY BELIEF WAS THAT THEY WERE SEALED, NOT HUMID, COMPLETELY DRY, AND THAT THIS CONDITION WAS ONE REASON THEY WERE IN SUCH GREAT STATE OF PRESERVATION. I AM ALSO UNDER THE BELIEF IT WAS HUMAN INTERVENTION, HUMAN BREATH, CARBON DIOXIDE AND SWEATING THAT CAUSED A HUMID CONDITION IN THE CAVES THAT CAUSED FUNGI AND OTHER MICRO ORGANISMS TO GROW, FLOURISH AND DESTROY THE PAINT.--LEADING TO CLOSURE. THEREFORE THE COMMENT OF ' HUMID ' WALLS..IS NOT UNDERSTANDABLE. AGAIN. ONE DOES NOT KNOW THE CONDITIONS OF THE CAVE WALLS WHEN THE ART WAS PAINTED. IN ADDITION-THREE YEARS OF STUDY IS A VERY INSUFFICIENT PERIOD. PB= You are completely wrong on this point. The vast majority of limestone caves are in fact very humid -- they are, after all, filled with stalagmites and stalactites which were mostly present at the time of Ice Age decoration, and which have continued to form ever since. This varies enormously from cave to cave, and even within single caves where you can find dry areas next to very wet areas. Moreover, in many cases you can see how the paint -- now sealed under a calcite film – ran or became blurred because the wall was so wet when it was first applied. We now have a vast literature on caves and it is realised that an undisturbed cave is like a living, breathing entity, with its humidity changing with the seasons and over the years, quite naturally. What has preserved cave art is not dryness but simply the equilibrium of undisturbed caves. Human visits have indeed damaged the art in many cases, but this has happened through disruption of the natural equilibrium and of air circulation -- until Lascaux in the 1960s, nobody had really realised this point, so new entrances were punched into the caves, and sediments removed,so that as many tourists as possible could be crammed in. Visits by large numbers of humans cause massive changes in temperature and humidity, as well as all kinds of pollution, and this is what has caused the damage. The fundamental point is that it was equilibrium which preserved the art, not dryness at all. In fact, the only substance which seemed to be good at fixing and preserving the pigments on the rockface was water -- especially cave-water, which is rich in calcium carbonate, and which was probably used at Lascaux [49]. LV=I NOTE THE USE OF THE WORD ' PROBABLY' IN YOUR PUBLICATION HERE. THIS WORD SHOULD BE OUTLAWED WHEN IDENTIFYING THE INGREDIENTS OF THE PAINT. IT IS A WORD USED BY ACADEMICS, AND I MEAN NO DISRESPECT... TO DESCRIBE INFORMATION THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW . THE PROBLEM IS THAT USING THIS WORD CAUSES NO ASSISTANCE IN RESEARCHING THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER. YET. I CAN SEE A GREAT INTEREST IN THE STATEMENT THAT POSSIBLY ONLY CAVE WATER WAS USED AS THE BINDER. IT MAKES ONE THINK OF THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE METHOD OF ' FRESCO' , THE APPLICATION OF ' WATER COLORS' ONTO A DAMP LIME PLASTERED WALL. I FIND THIS TO BE OF GREAT INTEREST. PB= Archaeology and prehistory are filled with words like “probably” and “seems” because we are acutely conscious of the fragility of most of our assumptions and deductions, and that a single new piece of solid evidence -- e.g. from a pigment analysis -- could cause things to change. It was also found that pigments adhered better if they had been finely ground. LV= YES OF COURSE-LIKE WATER COLOR PIGMENTS KIDS USE IN SCHOOL TODAY PB= In 1978, Cabrera Garrido's analyses at Altamira led him to suggest the possible use here of powdered fossil amber as a binder. [50] LV= ONE WONDERS IF IN 1978 THE STATE OF INSTRUMENTATION WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO DETECT GROUND UP RESINS PB= However, in some Ariege caves, recent analyses of paints, using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, have detected traces of what are thought to be oils of animal or plant origin, presumably used as a binder LV= THIS IS AN INTERESTING CONTRADICTION OF THE STUDY ABOVE WHERE 205 EXPERIMENTS BY COURAUD DETERMINED THESE BINDERS WERE NOT THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN OF SUFFICIENT DURABILITY. AGAIN. THIS CONFUSION/ CONTRADICTION OF INFORMATION IS NOT HELPFUL PB= Indeed, but even with the latest gadgetry available the boffins [ slang for scientists] were totally unable to identify more exactly the material detected. [51]. On portable art from Enlene and in parietal figures at Trois Freres it seems to be a plant oil, whereas parietal figures at Fontanet seem to contain an animal oil. Other sites such as the Reseau Clastres have no trace of any binder, as at Lascaux LV= THIS INFORMATION LEAVES ONE WITHOUT A STRONG FOUNDATION ON WHICH TO BELIEVE HOW CAN THE SCIENTISTS USE THE WORD..' SEEMS TO BE'... ONE WOULD THINK THE EXACT TRUTH COULD BE DETERMINED. PB= It will doubtless require more sophisticated equipment than is available now, or perhaps even DNA analysis -- but, as I have said, all this costs a lot of money.[49] Couraud 1982, p. 4; and in Leroi-Gourhan & Allain 1979, pp. 162-4.Couraud's experiments thus confirmed the opinions of Rottlander (1965), and have recently found support in experiments by Vaquero (1995: 72-75). LV= THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE SINCERELY , LOUIS R. VELASQUEZ *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** |
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" Observing knowledge of the Past while exploring concepts of the Future" THE “CSO-EGG TEMPERA” MEDIUM This new development [ December 2009] is not in the book. It is explained below along with a related new development 'CSO-EGG GESSO' . Please see: BOOK CONTENTS for updates not found in the book. I have been asked. Is this new method replacing the CSO/EMULSIONS and the CSO/AGUADO methods? NO IT IS NOT A REPLACEMENT This new medium helps artists choose new ways of doing things, with the ever important focus on SAFETY and PERMANENCE Please write with questions, to .. velapress@aol.com |
TWO NEW DEVELOPMENTS 'CSO-EGG TEMPERA' and 'CSO-EGG GESSO' POSITIVE FACTS ABOUT THIS NEW MEDIUM * It is a Safe and Permanent fast drying aqueous medium * It replaces modern synthetic paints containing hazardous chemicals * It is compatible with the traditional Egg Tempera medium * Egg is a proven archival ancient binding medium * It is inexpensive, using chalk, eggs, vinegar and dry pigments * A vast variety of application methods are possible including impasto * Scratching and raised textural effects are possible * A variety of application tools can be used; brushes, palette knives, fingers * Application can be broad, fluid, free and spontaneous or controlled * Over paints, corrections or changes have no time limits or precautions * The medium can be used alone or as a fast drying under painting for oil paints * It mixes easily with colored dry pigments to instantly create paint * The Medium is also a Gesso that requires no heating for application * The mixture of Glair and Chalk dries to a hard cement-like material * The adhesiveness of the medium and gesso is exceptionally strong * The gesso can be made ivory smooth or scratched with cloth weave patterns SCROLL BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS and NEW PHOTOS SHOWING THE PROCEDURE |
First published privately in 2004,
the 2008 revised edition was published
by WORDCLAY PUBLISHING COMPANY.
The book is available worldwide via
Internet book stores. Please read the
12 Five Star reviews on Amazon
the 2008 revised edition was published
by WORDCLAY PUBLISHING COMPANY.
The book is available worldwide via
Internet book stores. Please read the
12 Five Star reviews on Amazon
COMING SOON - A NEW BOOK The cover is to the right half in tempera, half in oils "EGG TEMPERA, CSO-EGG TEMPERA, ANCIENT BUT NEW: SAFETY AND PERMANENCE WITHOUT HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL PAINTS" Table of Contents PART ONE: Painting with CSO-EGG TEMPERA PART TWO: OIL PAINTING WITH CALCITE SUN OIL; Excerpts from the book PART THREE: OIL PAINTING WITH CALCITE SUN OIL; Updates UPDATE: The book is finished. Hopefully it will be available in one month. AND 3 DVDS ARE IN PRODUCTION OIL PAINTING WITH CALCITE SUN OIL PAINTING WITH CSO-EGG TEMPERA MEDIUM OIL PAINTING FOR BEGINNERS available possibly by June 2010 |
THE NEW BOOK WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE
ONLINE AND THROUGH MY WEBSITE.
A FULL LENGTH DVD
DEMONSTRATING ALL THE PROCEDURES
WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE SOON
HOPEFULLY BY END OF MARCH 2010
Feb 21, 2010
I decided to create a new cover based
on my painting of my daughter Elena
which is on my CSO- Oil Painting book
cover.
I traced the image onto the wood
panel which was prepared with the
CSO-EGG-GESSO
In the subsequent photos, you may
see the rough canvas weave texture I
gave the board. The painting is 8.25
X11 inches.
This photo shows the completed
CSO-EGG TEMPERA PAINTING. The
photo was made indoors, but still, the
colors are subdued. When later, the
oil is applied the colors gain in
richness. You will also see unorthodox
and new use of egg tempera, by my
use of thick impasto with the
CSO-EGG TEMPERA medium.
The next three photos show the
finished
CSO-EGG TEMPERA painting.
NO attempt is made to create brilliant
colors because I know what the oil
impregnation will do
and
I will be finishing the painting with oil
paints.
These three paintings clearly show the
frustration the early egg tempera
painters had prior to the VAN EYCK
development and perfection of OIL
PAINTING. Though the oil medium was
ancient way before the VAN EYCKS,
they used their knowledge of egg
tempera..
and created an EGG-OIL EMULSION.
This, in my opinion is the famous
LOST MEDIUM of the Van Eycks. A
simple emulsion that controlled the
flowing oil and allowed them to
achieve great realism by easy
blending, something impossible with
egg tempera.
Egg tempera is a beautiful refined
medium, and the painstaking
technique does not suit everyone. I
could never paint with it because it
would be too restrictive for my
aesthetic goals.
This new CSO-EGG TEMPERA
handles like oils, i can be
spontaneous and free and use
impasto..something completely
prohibited by the traditional egg
tempera method.
*************************************
This photo shows the important
IMPREGNATION step. This saturates
the egg with sun oil.
Here you can see the weave texture I
created with the cold CSO-EGG
GESSO
and the impasto I created with the
CSO-EGG TEMPERA.
The new book will give all full details
on this procedure and medium.
I purposely left half finished in
CSO-EGG TEMPERA and the other
have was finished in CSO-OILS
TO MY READERS,
This new EGG TEMPERA method is
liberating and empowering.
I believe it will make oil painting more
enjoyable and will expand new
creative ideas by merging what the
VAN EYCKS knew so long ago
sincerely- louis
please note: all images and text are
copyright protected, and may not be
used without my written permission.
If you are sharing this information,
please give credit to my website
Thank you and the book will be out
soon.
I decided to create a new cover based
on my painting of my daughter Elena
which is on my CSO- Oil Painting book
cover.
I traced the image onto the wood
panel which was prepared with the
CSO-EGG-GESSO
In the subsequent photos, you may
see the rough canvas weave texture I
gave the board. The painting is 8.25
X11 inches.
This photo shows the completed
CSO-EGG TEMPERA PAINTING. The
photo was made indoors, but still, the
colors are subdued. When later, the
oil is applied the colors gain in
richness. You will also see unorthodox
and new use of egg tempera, by my
use of thick impasto with the
CSO-EGG TEMPERA medium.
The next three photos show the
finished
CSO-EGG TEMPERA painting.
NO attempt is made to create brilliant
colors because I know what the oil
impregnation will do
and
I will be finishing the painting with oil
paints.
These three paintings clearly show the
frustration the early egg tempera
painters had prior to the VAN EYCK
development and perfection of OIL
PAINTING. Though the oil medium was
ancient way before the VAN EYCKS,
they used their knowledge of egg
tempera..
and created an EGG-OIL EMULSION.
This, in my opinion is the famous
LOST MEDIUM of the Van Eycks. A
simple emulsion that controlled the
flowing oil and allowed them to
achieve great realism by easy
blending, something impossible with
egg tempera.
Egg tempera is a beautiful refined
medium, and the painstaking
technique does not suit everyone. I
could never paint with it because it
would be too restrictive for my
aesthetic goals.
This new CSO-EGG TEMPERA
handles like oils, i can be
spontaneous and free and use
impasto..something completely
prohibited by the traditional egg
tempera method.
*************************************
This photo shows the important
IMPREGNATION step. This saturates
the egg with sun oil.
Here you can see the weave texture I
created with the cold CSO-EGG
GESSO
and the impasto I created with the
CSO-EGG TEMPERA.
The new book will give all full details
on this procedure and medium.
I purposely left half finished in
CSO-EGG TEMPERA and the other
have was finished in CSO-OILS
TO MY READERS,
This new EGG TEMPERA method is
liberating and empowering.
I believe it will make oil painting more
enjoyable and will expand new
creative ideas by merging what the
VAN EYCKS knew so long ago
sincerely- louis
please note: all images and text are
copyright protected, and may not be
used without my written permission.
If you are sharing this information,
please give credit to my website
Thank you and the book will be out
soon.
