Sgraffito

Sgraffito

Nov 17, 2016 | BLOG, FRESCO

Sgraffito is an old technique which involves scratching through a layer of lime plaster to reveal a different coloured layer below. It is a bit like scraperboard! It has been used since classical times and was popularised in the 15th and 16th centuries and again...
Studio rearrangement

Studio rearrangement

May 5, 2016 | BLOG

I have been in my WASPS studio for twenty and a half years. I was in the first group of people to take a studio here in October 1995 when the building became available. I was immediately attracted to this studio because of its pitched roof, windows and skylight. It...
Man in Pink

Man in Pink

Mar 23, 2016 | BLOG, FRESCO

For my latest test fresco, I am doing a figure from Piero della Francesca’s Legend of the True Cross. I chose it because I had a good sized copy of it in a library book. I love his pink outfit and how the folds look so complex. Julia talked me through how to build up...
Roman fresco technique

Roman fresco technique

Feb 15, 2016 | BLOG, FRESCO

I have become slightly obsessed with the frescoes at Pompeii and Herculaneum. I have never been there, but have got hold of some books with excellent reproductions. There has been some debate about the techniques they used to get the smooth, polished surface. I won’t...
My uncle’s exhibition

My uncle’s exhibition

Jan 27, 2016 | BLOG

My Uncle Bill has an exhibition at the Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh. William Irvine was born in Scotland and went to Glasgow School of Art. He lived in London as a young artist and then moved to Maine where he has been for the best part of fifty years. This is the...
Renaissance head

Renaissance head

Jan 15, 2016 | BLOG, FRESCO

I am currently trying to learn more about fresco. Don’t ask me why. I know it’s crazy: it’s time consuming, tricky, the materials are not readily available in Scotland, the climate is too damp. But, I can’t help it: I am fascinated by the technique. It involves mixing...