La Macina di San Cresci

Artist in Residence

Painting

Technical aspect of painting

Each lesson will feature a section on the technical/historical aspects of the materials followed by a hands-on session.The invention of the paint-brush in painting .How to make a paint-brush (marten, badger, wild boar, pig).Exploring goose feather quills used in writing and draw woodcock feathers used to paint Angels hair during the Renaissance. How to make a painters palette. How the use of a copper painting surface developed during the Flemish Dutch golden age. The invention of the stretcher. Differences between fixed stretchers: Tuscan and French variations. How the development of fabric covered stretchers occured.

Different methods of stretcher preparation according to the choice of wood frame or painting canvas, linen, juta or other material. Use of paper: how it is prepared or is grawn over a stretcher.Color: colors derived from the liquids in grasses and pollens.Pigments: ground earths and pulverized stones. Various types of binders: water and pigment mixtures for the affresco water and sugar (also used for guilding) natural binders based on egg and animal glue modern acrylic binders. Differences between watercolor, tempera, oil, and acrylic considered in conjunction with the preparation of specific support.Finishing techniques for surface protection and aging: from bees wax to Damar varnish.

Artist retreat

marina A course for the inquisitive beginner, the advanced professional, anyone wishing to expand creative potential. In the beautiful rolling Tuscan hills, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, this retreat will provide a natural environment for inspiration, and basis which to stimulate the creative process.

Watercolour painting

acquarello The pictorial technique of watercolour utilizes transparent colours diluted with water and applied to paper or equivalent (similar) materials. The quick and rapid action of watercolour allows for that"flash"of reality, the evocative timelessness of the fleeting moment captured in this spontaneous medium. More than any other medium watercolour allows for the expression of human emotion and sentiment, alongside the mystery and secrets of nature. Introduction to the technique of watercolour (use of supports; various types of papers, fine and coarse texture; traditional colours, white colour; types of brushes; colours that can be found on the market and their differences).

Painting method and correct proportions. Use of primary colours and their mix in order to make secondary and tertiary colours. Colour harmony and tonal gradation: exercise of composition of subjects using selected colours.

Technique of wet on dry. Technique of wet on wet. Technique of masking. Open-air watercolour painting in the Tuscan landscape.

Egg tempera painting

The course aims to rediscover the ancient technique of painting with egg tempera .By "tempera" we mean a coloured paste obtained by mixing pigments with glues (binders) like egg, fig milk, waxes or other water soluble substances. In the mid-15th century this technique slowly began to include oily components, gradually coming to resemble what we now know as oil painting.The laboratory's aim is to teach students to create a work of art using the old method of mixing pigment with a natural binder (an egg), revisiting the places where the techniques were developed and tracing the technique's historical development.The actual working materials and tools will be used during the course, as well as the basic elements of painting technique.

Fresco technique

affresco_4

Introduction to techniques used in the creation of frescos. The classical renaissance method used for the fresco medium, tempera, encaustic and use of oil on walls, will be outlined. Choice of the subject and preparation of the "cartoon". Application of the arriccio to a mobile support. Application of plaster, divided into various giornate, or "working days". Transfer of the design (sinopia, direct drawing, direct and indirect incision, dusting of preparatory layers, shaking of the strings and division into squares). Fresco painting with powdered pigments. Preparation of a support for dry painting. Tempera painting with animal glue. Preparation of a "fresco medium" on a whitewashed support.

Icons technique

affresco_icone In-depth course on the fresco technique used in making icons.

Students will be closely supervised through the following stages: preparation of the support (various types of support) ,arriccio (brown coat) ,velo (final plaster skin) ,design,sinopia technique ,dusting ,timeframe ,painting .A short list of publications on the subject will also be included.

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