QEST Strappo Course, Rome

QEST Strappo Course, Rome

I took part in a strappo course in Rome, thanks to my QEST Anthony and Elizabeth Mellows Charitable Settlement Scholarship. This, the final part, follows on from my study visit to Naples and Rome and my gold leaf course in Bosa, Sardinia. Strappo is Italian for tear...
QEST, L’Art de la Fresque, Brittany

QEST, L’Art de la Fresque, Brittany

Continuing with my QEST Scholarship, I attended a week long fresco course, l’Art de la Fresque, at the beautiful Abbaye Saint Jacut de la Mer in Brittany, France. This was run by Isabelle Bonzom and Valerie Letombe and hosted by VMSF. There were thirteen participants...
QEST Scholarship, Merz fresco

QEST Scholarship, Merz fresco

In 2022, I received a QEST Anthony and Elizabeth Mellows Charitable Settlement Trust Award to gain further training in fresco painting. The first part of this, in June, involved working on a wall. I was keen to get practice in this as I had previously mainly worked on...
Wall fresco part one

Wall fresco part one

Having made dozens of portable frescoes on panels, I thought it was high time I tackled an actual wall. Fresco is, after all, a mural technique. Brick is the best and my studio building is made of brick. Unfortunately, it means working outside, which is not the best...
Sgraffito

Sgraffito

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...