Painting with Egg Tempera (Workshop)

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Saturday, January 18th, 2020
10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Join Botticelli, Wyeth and Canadian artists Danby and Colville!! Paint with egg tempera. Egg tempera is one of the oldest yet most durable mediums. Botticelli’s egg tempera works have survived beautifully for centuries. What is the appeal? Wyeth and others could have used any paint they desired! Well, egg tempera paint feels better on the brush! It applies like the smoothest oil or water colour, rather like thick ink.

Unlike oils it dries and can be glazed in about twenty to thirty minutes. Unlike water colour it stays put as you glaze and re-glaze. There are a few tricks to be mastered. Prepared panels will be supplied, and Bill will show you to prepare them for yourself. So why does it have such a bad rap that the local gallery actually labeled one such work "egg tempura?"

Truthfully, there are a few problems with this paint. It is not suited for canvas or linen. It is not compatible with most gessoes. It is not suitable for long storage in jars or tubes as the egg goes rancid. Mixing powdered pigment into the medium has hazards as a few are toxic and all are seriously messy. But there are some real positives... Egg tempera is a perfect handling paint with un-matched brush feel. It is very transparent and glazing is exciting as layers dry in about 20 minutes. Clean up is with water or soap and water. In this workshop "you will eliminate the negatives and accentuate the positives" as the song goes. Bill Kerr, our instructor will demonstrate and guide you through processes to avoid the pitfalls and exploit the advantages. A materials list will be supplied.