LANDSCAPE ARTIST JAMES LYNCH REVEALS HIS TECHNIQUES FOR USING THIS COMPLEX MEDIUM TO CREATE LUMINOUS PAINTINGS.
What support do you use for your paintings?
I make my own gesso ground from rabbit-skin glue and whiting; I cook it on my studio stove, then paint several layers onto a wood panel (MDF). I used to sand the final layer smooth, which was traditional, but now I make the surface rougher. For very large paintings, I lay muslin over MDF, stick it down with rabbit skin glue and layer over the gesso.
How do you make the egg tempera?
I mix raw ground pigments with a little egg yolk and water. It’s water-thin, and I build colour glazes slowly. When I first became interested in egg tempera, I read the 15th-century Il Libro dell’Arte by Cennino Cennini. It seemed complex. It probably was in those days, having to grind pigments and use distilled water. But they are finely ground today, so it’s far simpler. I use tap water.
What are the unique qualities of egg tempera?
What attracted me to the medium were egg tempera paintings I’d seen in the National Gallery. They seemed to glow with a light that came from within. This is because the paint glazes are translucent and allow light to bounce back from the underlying white gesso ground. As I got to know the medium, I discovered it was a gorgeous, glowing, luminous, living paint surface.
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