I paint with watercolor on calfskin vellum. I believe that vellum bequeaths my subject matter with life; creating a living, breathing painting well beyond the sum of it’s parts of vellum, paintbrush and paint. Recently I have discovered the ‘Mische Technique’ — a modern revival of methods used by Dutch Masters and early Renaissance painters. This painting method is based on the principle of applying pigment in alternating layers of oil glazes and white egg tempera which allow light to pass through and reflect off of the white gesso surface of the prepared panel and white egg tempera layers. This effect gives colors a luminosity and transluscence beyond what is obtained from just reflectance off of the painting surface. This tehnique suits my artistic nature as it shares many similarites with painting drybrush on vellum—the layers of transparent pigments, the linear technique of applying egg tempera, the methodical careful approach—all resulting in luminous, glowing color.”
