Egg Tempera, an Adventure

After many decades of painting with watercolors and, at times, oils, I decided to try egg tempera. I read as much as I could about egg tempera and the history of the medium; and I watched a large number of YouTube videos about painting with egg tempera. Finally I decided that I should try it to better understand it. The things that I was most aware of was that many artists who use egg tempera tend to work in a realistic, or even ultra-realistic manner. Egg tempera as a painting medium, is often put on the surface (I use birch plywood board) in thin layers and often in a cross-hatching manner, layer upon layer. But others, I have noticed, including Andrew Wyeth, apply it, at times, in a more impasto manner. Not super thick, but enough that it can be seen. When it is applied thinly, the colors shine through. I enjoy trying both methods of application.

The colors I use for egg tempera comes from earth minerals. I get them in bottles as powder and I mix them on a palette. I love mixing colors and applying them over other colors. The results are often gratifying. If I am not happy with a painting I can sand it off or paint over it. That is something I can not do with watercolor. I’ve noticed that many egg tempera artists began with watercolor and moved to egg tempera. I know that many of us still use both mediums. But I am still in the “this is an adventure” stage with egg tempera and most of my paintings are done with this medium.

There are many different recipes for mixing the egg yolk mixture. Basically it is egg yolk with equal parts distilled water and vinegar (or white wine). I add just a drop of flavored oil used for candy making, such as sassafras or anise. I drop a bit in the the water used for cleaning brushes, too. It keeps things from getting too stinky!

Dead Bugs

Many of my drawings and paintings include insects. I draw from dead insects or from photographs I’ve taken. Almost always these are dead bugs that I work from. I do not try to make them look alive. Nothing can quite achieve that former zest the insect had. But they are interesting to work with. Once I find a dead insect I am interested in drawing or painting, I work quickly to capture its essence. Some insects like bees dry and become dust very fast. I found putting them in small jelly jars with a tight lid helps to preserve them, for awhile, anyway. Dragon flies will dry up quickly, but there is a little longer amount of time to capture it before its segments separate and drop away from each other. Dragon fly wings do not seem to dry up for a very, very long time. But still, drawing these tiny creatures and paying attention to detail is a good discipline for the eye and the hand, but especially for the brain.

Working with Old Photographs

Old photographs, mostly all from the 19th and early part of the 20th century, provide a lot of inspiration for my drawings and paintings when I want to draw a human. The photos can be found in antique and vintage stores. Many times people will just give photos to me. But when I choose a photo to work from for a drawing or painting, it is often because of some element that the person (or people) has that catches my eye. That’s when the story begins. I let the image of the human(s) tell the story. Anyone else might see a completely different story. For example, one photo of a couple in their wedding clothes told me a story of a couple joining up as partners on a midwestern farm. The clothes indicated this was a winter wedding, which would allow them time to prepare for the heavy spring work ahead. They both look knackered and they both look like they just want to crawl under warm covers and recover from all the wedding preparations and celebrations. There’s work to be done. But if you looked at the photo, you might see something else.