All 36 /Art = Math 0 /Book Notes 9 /Color Mixes 1 /Essays and Enquiries 3 /Flesh Tones 2 /From the Studio 0 /History 0 /Interviews 0 /Masters 9 /Materials 2 /Palettes 2 /pLog Pith 4 /Quotes 6 /Resources 5 /Responses 1 /Reviews 2 /Technical Bulletins 3 /Techniques 5 /The "Science" Series 0 /Travels and Museums 1 /Videos 2 /Writers 1

“To Excel the Past…”

"... we must not allow ourselves to lose contact with it; on…
May 15, 2024/by tja

“Last Words” on Painting

There is one thing about painting––you can be a student…
March 27, 2024/by tja

Trans Oxides vs. Siennas

January 29, 2024/by tja

The Flat Tint

If anyone doubts what a flat tint will do, let him see the…
January 29, 2024/by tja

Yarn Weaving

A Kentucky Limner in a King Arthur-less Court



Until that…
October 12, 2023/by tja

pLog Pith XVIII

 There is magic to the mystery, but there is no mystery to…
November 6, 2022/by tja

Book Note of the Day: Preservation of Breadth

John Burnet's Practical Hints on Light and Shade in Painting,…
September 18, 2022/by tja

Video: Lessons from Van Dyck

https://youtube.com/shorts/uBDJIgM0ylk
September 5, 2022/by tja

Book Note of the Day: Alberti on Beauty

‘Beauty’, he says, ‘is that reasoned harmony of the parts…
September 4, 2022/by tja

Book Note of the Day: The Royal Road in Art

There is no royal road in art. In this department of life, as…
January 27, 2022/by tja

Book Note of the Day: the Importance of Instinct

Velazquez, like every great artist, tempered his method with…
August 4, 2021/by tja

“Sinking In” – When Oil Paint Dries Dull and Matte on the Canvas and Why

"Sinking in" is the term used to describe what happens when a layer of paint loses its saturation. If you, like me, often use an earth palette, then this effect can easily be seen when a layer of Raw Umber or Burnt Umber has dried.
December 29, 2018/by tja

Anthonis Mor: Technical Info on the National Portrait Gallery Website

Alway a delight to find this kind of information.
December 10, 2018/by tja

From the Graveyard: Formulas for Flesh – Part I: Caravaggio, Guercino, Reni and Caracci

Today I am less convinced that there is a formula for the color of flesh... but I do think there are strategies to be considered in terms of managing luminosity and temperature. What do you think?
August 19, 2018/by tja

pLog Pith XVII

If the big things aren't right, the small things won't matter.Make…
August 19, 2018/by tja

Pigment Analysis in Paintings: Titian, Velazquez, Rembrandt

I always enjoy have some idea of the kinds of pigments used to create a certain color, especially if multiple layers are involved.  Here is a website I stumbled upon that has some nice presentations on this very topic...
April 20, 2018/by tja

Great Interactive Website for a Rubens Show

I hope they will keep this up even after the show ends:

Rubens:…
March 11, 2018/by tja

Track the Lives of the Old Masters

There is a very clever new website called eVasari: you can trace…
January 30, 2018/by tja

pLog Pith XVI

You follow rules to go somewhere.
You break rules to go somewhere else.
You ignore rules to go nowhere.
November 25, 2017/by tja

pLog Pith XV

We need to be reminded: there is no beauty without rules…
September 10, 2017/by tja

The National Gallery Technical Bulletin: Titian after 1540

This special edition is dedicated to the study of Titian’s technique and style after 1540.
September 1, 2017/by tja

The Palette of Gilbert Stuart

From the Natural Pigments website...
June 7, 2017/by tja

The Providence of Fundamentals – Learning to Draw Before You Paint Pays Dividends

June 3, 2017/by tja

The Continuity of Light and the Criteria to Capture It: A Review of the Workshop with Charles Weed

June 3, 2017/by tja

“J. M. W. Turner and other English artists of his generation relied on the development of innovative gels. “

"To paint quickly while creating exceptional texture and volume effects, J. M. W. Turner and other English artists of his generation relied on the development of innovative gels."
January 26, 2017/by tja

The Pigment Compendium on Google Books

If you are doing research on unfamiliar names of pigments, then…
October 24, 2016/by tja

“Flesh Spheres”

In January of 2014 I made my second trip to visit Odd in Norway.…
October 16, 2016/by tja

The National Gallery Technical Bulletin: Sir Joshua Reynolds

This special edition is dedicated to the paintings of Joshua Reynolds in the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection.
October 10, 2016/by tja

Titian’s Secret Revealed

"He was simply better than anyone else."
October 10, 2016/by tja

“Painter’s Palettes from Historical Writings”

A just-discovered great new resource by Patricia Railing.
September 20, 2016/by tja

A Poem from 1762

—The diſtinguish'd part of Men
With Compaſs, Pencil, sword,…
August 12, 2015/by tja

A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings Online

For those familiar with Ernst van de Wetering's Rembrandt - The…
May 12, 2015/by tja

Caravaggio’s Contarrelli Chapel in High-Res and Head-On

If you visit the Contarelli Chapel in Rome's San Luigi dei Francesi,…
January 17, 2015/by tja

“Aesthetics Have Nothing to Do with It.”

Nowadays the charlatans say it straight to your face.
November 30, 2014/by tja

From Odd Nerdrum to Igor Stravinsky and a Favorite Quote on the Creative Process

I have a recent habit of saving a variety of essays, forums…
November 29, 2014/by tja

“The Four Techniques for Illusion and Volume”

For those out there like myself interested in technical art history,…
October 11, 2014/by tja
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