Detail of the Fresco

Cartoon created from the photo

Photo in Studio

FRESCO ONE     Val at 50

                 18" x 18"

     So, I started with this.  I had intended to use this image to practice a camera obscura/Vemeer method oil painting with it after seeing the documentary Tim's Vermeer.  I still might do that,  but I wanted to see how it would look as a fresco.  

    It's laid down on the back of an  18" x 18" floor tile - which I discovered quickly is a very small format for a fresco.  The thinnest 'good' line I could paint onto it about 1/4" thick.  My goals with this were to put at least 1 of every pigment I had into it to see what it would look like when it was dry.  I also wanted to get a feel for the plaster...how it mixed and moved, how it responded to troweling and brush work.  To make a comparison to oil painting - its as if the canvas is 'wet' and the  paint can be  built and constructed into the structure of the canvas.

       That analogy sucks...it's best to just say that only a fresco looks like a fresco - I discovered this quick.  If I tried to paint something that looked old or 'heavy' it could be done but it would only be a cheap substitute for the actual earthiness and weight of a fresco.

     I made a colossal mistake on this piece.  I laid the intonaco layer down on a dry arracio layer.   The result was cracks and instability within the first 2 weeks of drying.  I must say I kind of liked the 'ancient' appearance it gave to a brand new piece.  I also learned about the right sequence of color application onto the wet plaster - I think I'll do the highlights first on the next one.

      The chronological  progress is provided below.   The total time on the job was about 28 hours.

O M A Y ' s    S T U D I O

FRESCO # 1   - Spring 2015