Pictures will be added soon and every technique will be presented in its own chapter, we ask for a little patience.
Watercolour, oils, tempera are all being home made with the best quality of (mainly) natural and historical pigments, oils, gum Arabic and organic free range eggs. From Landscapes to abstract paintings, we love exploring and extremes. Acrylic paint is not used for paintings. Whenever possible, the canvasses or papers are made or cut in the so called Golden Ratio measurements.
Oils: No turpentine is used for making the oil-paintings, not even to clean the brushes. Canvases are more and more prepared at home, without acrylics. The pigments are mixed with linseed oil, some with poppy or walnut oil; on a granite plate with a glass muller. For landscapes we use Worpswede canvas, for portraits and smaller paintings Flanders is used for its very fine and delicate woven qualities. To fix the canvas to the frame, we use nails instead of staples. Favourite subject are landscapes with skies and water; clouds are very inspiring and water is intriguing.
Watercolour: made with pure gum Arabic, water and natural pigments. The pigments are, where possible, homemade as well. Watercolour is also used for making miniatures inspired on old manuscripts, the gold-paint is made of 24 ct genuine gold leaf, honey and gum Arabic. A wide range of papers is used for watercolour paintings; different Japanese papers, Himalaya paper, watercolour paper, rare handmade papers. Mainly used for miniatures and geometrical patterns.
Tempera: the recipe of this paint depends on the purpose, the eggs are always at least organic free range. Paint made in Germany is from neighbouring chickens that walk freely in the forest and our garden. Tempera can also be used as underpainting in oil paintings.
Apart from those traditional paints, inks are used as well, like alcohol inks.
Alcohol inks are used on Canvas and mostly on yupo paper, brand Lana: recycled polypropylene that can be recycled again. This is clearly not a traditional art. Most alcohol paintings have a deeper symbolism as they show bright colours and just silhouettes, they tell that if we don't see something, it doesn't mean it isn't there. If water is used like a (frozen) lake, it symbolises the connection between dimensions; water and air (sky) are complete different dimensions; apart and connected at the same time, they influence each other and you can see the other from either of them. As such they symbolise life and death and the connection between those dimensions. Trees are a favourite subject, their trunks are black in the paintings, not reflecting any light yet they are full of life, they are miniature worlds although we don't see it. Their branches in the sky, their roots firmly in the soil; there's so much more to them than we see. The trees are always painted after real existing trees.
Pastels: Starting to learn to paint with this medium in 2020, you can follow the progress in the Blog. The brand that is mainly used is "Rembrandt".
Used brushes -except for alcohol inks- are handmade brushes from Rosemary and Co.
https://www.rosemaryandco.com/
For Miniature paintings -inks and water colour- handmade brushes from The Perfect Brush are also used.
https://www.theperfectbrush.co.uk/
To clean the brushes, warm water and a brush soap or any soap that is good to your hair, can be used. We also recommend Clean Spirit of Bartoline; it works perfect. When used in combination with an ultrasonic device even "forgotten" brushes on which the oil already is sticky and semi-hard will get clean this way: fix your brush that way, it is in the solution but doesn't touch the bottom. 40 degrees Celsius and 15 to 30 minutes will clean them perfectly, . Clean Spirit is non-flammable, non-toxic and not erosive; it is bio-degradable and therefore a more sustainable cleaning solution then the often used Spirit and turps.
