Flemish White

Thank you to everyone who made '08 a very special year, and we are looking forward to some great things in '09. Our Flemish White has become our best seller, and for good reason. It is not like any other lead based white on the market. We have worked extremely hard to get the formulation perfected, and are very happy with where it is at. The way that we mix it, to the way that we grind it, has become what makes the Flemish White so special. When it is made properly it will not yellow, which is very critical. There will inevitabely be other manufacturers to use the name, but there is no other manufacturer to make true Flemish White. We have invested in enough stock to last for many years to come, so we are in it for the long haul. If you haven't tried our Flemish White yet, our starter kit is your best option. The kit contains all of the necessary additives to make the white do all of it's "tricks." If you don't like jars, we will tube it up for you, just ask. Thanks again for '08, and check back in February for our new line of paints, which are truly our pride and joy.

PayPal

We are now accepting PayPal payments, which has turned out to be great for international orders. You may choose this option when checking out. For those of you who know and like PayPal, we invite you order with us.

We Are Finally Moved!!!

We are finally moved into our new space, which is about 2500 sf. This will allow us to grow and expand our capabilities. There is naturally still things to get done, but we are now making paint here. We are also taking phone orders as well at 828-254-5981. Technical questions are still best answered through email due to the time involved, but Eric is always willing to answer them. If there is something that he doesn't know we have plenty of resources to find it out. Of course, you can still order online at http://www.blueridgeoilpaint.com/. We look forward to serving you in the future.

Thank You - Eric & Athena Silver

Giorgio Morandi

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC is having a comprehensive show dedicated to the life span of Giorgio Morandi. They will have works from his early days, what there is left of them, and through to the more famous still lifes and landscapes of his later years. I have always found Morandi's paintings to be much more than bottles, but rather a discovery of spatial relationships that might have gone unnoticed. This is probably due to his studies of Cezanne's work, who redefined space as it was known to his time. However, Morandi was also able to capture a quiet serenity in his still lifes that is, to me, quite beautiful. Despite what opinions one may have of Morandi's work, it is truly worthwhile to study his space and his play on visual ambiguities. There is certainly more than meets the eye in his works. The Met has also published a catalogue of the show, which is great because Morandi books are not as prevalent as some others. Hopefully this show will enlighten more people in general to appreciate his works. Morandi has always been described as a painter's painter, which I find very true. It looks like I will have to wait until next month to see it first hand, but it will be up until Dec 14. There is also an online exhibition of some of the pieces. If anyone has been please let me know how it is.

http://www.metmuseum.org/special/giorgio_morandi/more.asp

Velazquez's palette

During his artistic career, Velazquez, didn't use that many different pigments, but would continually use the following throughout:

White: Lead White and Calcite
Yellow: Yellow Iron Oxide, Lead-Tin Yellow, and Naples Yellow
Orange: Orange Iron Oxide and Vermilion
Red: Red Iron Oxide, Vermilion, and Organic Red Lake
Blue: Azurite, Lapiz Lazuli, and Smalt
Brown: Brown Iron Oxide and Manganese Oxide
Black: Organic black of vegetal or animal origin
Green: Azurite, Iron Oxide, and Lead-Tin Yellow
Purple: Organic Red Lake and Azurite

These pigments were all ground in his workshop with binding oils that were carefully purified. There is also a great number of his paintings that contain calcite in the initial layers, which allowed for more transparent layers. The amount of oil used as the binder in his paints was also adjusted according to the desired transparency. The use of calcite also allowed him to paint quicker, which allowed him the freedom he was looking for. Velazquez was completely aware of the traditional formulas for painting, but found no use for them. He wanted to do away with the formulaic traditions that were restricting to his creativity. Of course, today we would say that his methods were more restricted than some used in modern painting. However, without Velazquez's search for a more free technique we would not have the freedom of expression seen today.

Information gathered from "Velazquez - The Technique of Genius," by Jonathan Brown and Carmen Garrido. Another great book worth looking up.

Secret of the Old Masters

If you have never read "Secret of the Old Masters," by Albert Abendschein, you owe it to yourself to search out a copy of it. I believe it is out of print, but could probably be found online. In it Abendschein gives his findings through years of experimentation and research to find the secrets of the masters. He was mainly concerned with Titian, Paul Veronese, Velasquez, Rubens, Van Dyck, and Reynolds. These are the ones he focuses on in the book. I will try to hit on some of the more interesting points. He begins by going into his many different combinations to find the perfect medium, or varnish. Experiments included painting with straight varnish and pigments, then adding waxes or oils. There are too many ones to list here, but the one he saw fit for artistic uses was a copal varnish. Copal is far superior to other resins, and doesn't yellow as badly as Mastic or Dammar. One reason for the difficulty of the modern direct method of applying paint to copy masterworks, is that they painted in layers. It is well known that the masters painted in many thin layers to achieve a luminous painting. It is very difficult to replicate a color when it is actually the combination of several colors in thin layers in a certain sequence.



Another point touched on is the preparation of the ground to lend itself to more luminous paintings. The ground must be absolutely white so that as the painting ages, and the layers become more luminous, the subdued light of the white ground will lend itself to the painting. This is why he says you shouldn't use a colored or dull ground because it will eventually turn the painting that color or dull it out. The use of absorbent grounds is also seen as asking for trouble in the future because there is too much oil absorbed into it. It is then suggested that a varnish ground be used. It is believed that Sir Joshua Reynolds used a copal varnish mixed with white as his grounds. This allows the paint to be applied in any way desired without spotting or alternations of transparency and opacity.



By the end of the book, there is a clear path that is desired. That is one of a luminous painting that is very durable. Another recurrent theme is that less oil used is always better due to the undesirable qualities of drying oils. This leads to the final conclusion that these masters would actually "burn" the oil off of a final painting. It is believed that they would leave a painting in a bright sunny place to allow most of the oil to dry completely and be bleached by the sun. This would allow the colors to really show through without the problem of excess oil to yellow with age. By leaving a painting in the sun, it would appear, will give you a much more luminous painting that ages very well, and actually improve with age.

Trip to NY

I just got back from a trip to NYC. While there I trained, and worked, with Robert Doak. Every free moment I had was spent in the museums, which is always a treat. There is a pretty good Turner exhibit at the Met right now, which is worth a look. As always, the museums are getting very crowded with the summer time tourists, so plan to go early. You can also get some sort of a break late on Friday evenings. The worst possible time I found was, of course, when they are free. The Frick is "pay what you wish" on Sunday afternoons, and the Moma is free on Friday afternoons. It is always very moving to see such great art, even if you have to step on a few feet to get close. While there, I learned a great deal, and am very excited about getting my own color line in better harmony, and working toward a more complete line. I will be adding new products and colors throughout the summer, so check back often. Along with many new colors, we will also be adding a balsam medium.