BINDERS ART BLOG

This Week @ BINDERS - January 3-9

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 17:47:00 +0000

BINDERS HAPPENINGS

Happy New Year everyone! BINDERS is hitting the ground running in 2011! We’re fully stocked with all the basics for the Winter semester — come in and find out what we have for sale right now. Starting soon, The Art School at BINDERS is presenting: Acrylic Painting Bootcamp with JZ Torre (Jan 9); Container Workshop with Anne Elser (Jan. 15-16); Head Portrait Modeling Workshop with Basil Watson (Jan. 20-23); and Painting in Egg Tempera with Phil Schirmer (Jan. 28-30). There’s still a little time left to sign up for these fun and informative events, get more information online or stop by the store and ask. While you’re here, be sure to drop by The Limelight Gallery to see “Group Wohs”, our annual BINDERS employee art exhibition!

ART CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

Monday, January 3:

Guided Open Studio with Kay Powell
10:30am-1pm, Every Monday | Beginner to Intermediate
Fee: $17/per session. Please pay the instructor. No registration necessary.

Tuesday, January 4:

Architectural Renderings with Joyce Carll
9:30-11:30am, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Jan. 4-Feb.8
Beginner to Advanced | Fee: $195 | Sign up now!

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
1-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Jan. 4-Feb. 8
Open to all levels | Fee: $155 | Sign up now!

Bookmaking One: Beginning Bookmaking with Anne Elser
6-8:30pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Dec.7-Jan. 25
Beginner-Intermediate | Fee: $155

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
6-8:30pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Jan. 4-Feb.8
Open to all levels | Fee: $155 | Sign up now!

Wednesday, January 5:

Silk Dye Painting Basics with Hellenne Vermillion
5:30-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 6 Sessions, Jan.5-Feb.9
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $170 | Sign up now!

Calligraphy Three: Advanced Calligraphy with Anne Elser6-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 6 Sessions, Dec.8-Jan. 26
Intermediate-Advanced | Fee: $155

Thursday, January 6:

Palette Knife Oil Painting with Donna Thomas9:30am-12pm, Thursdays, 6 Sessions, Jan. 6-Feb.10
Open to all levels | Fee: $210 | Sign up now!

Architectural Renderings with Joyce Carll 6-8pm, Thursdays, 6 Sessions, Jan. 6-Feb.10 (no class 1/20)
Beginner to Advanced | Fee: $195 | Sign up now!

Friday, January 7:

Exploring Encaustic Painting with Penny Treese10am-1pm, Fridays, 5 Sessions, Jan. 7-Feb. 11 (no class Jan. 28)
Beginner | Some supplies included | Fee: $330 | Sign up now!

Saturday, January 8:

No special art events today.

Sunday, January 9:

Acrylic Painting Boot Camp with J.Z.Torre 12-5pm, Sun. Jan.9 | Beginners and Beyond | Fee: $105 | Sign up now!

Please note: Classes on this schedule are in our Atlanta store unless otherwise indicated. For more information please email or call Eli Pelizza at 404.237.6331 ext. 203.

Check out the full list of our upcoming art classes and art workshops! Sign up for 5 classes, workshops or demos and receive 25% OFF THE SIXTH!

THE LIMELIGHT GALLERY
Group whoS
Works by BINDERS
Showing: Dec 20-Jan 27
Closing Reception: Sunday Jan 23 from 2 to 5pm

This Week @ BINDERS - December 20-26

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 21:27:00 +0000

BINDERS HAPPENINGS

Happy Holidays everyone, from all of us at BINDERS! For all of you last-minute-shoppers, please remember that the store will be closing at 6 pm on Christmas Eve and we will be closed on Christmas. Starting this week, The Limelight Gallery is pleased to present a special exhibition of art created by our very own employees! Come by and see what your favorite BINDERS staff members have been working on. New classes begin the week of January 7 - in the meantime, please see our upcoming schedule and plot out your educational plans for 2011!

The Subject of Art #18: Egg Tempra Painting - An Ancient Medium in the Modern World!

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 01:25:00 +0000

January 28th-30th, BINDERS will be hosting the workshop “Painting in Egg Tempera” with Phil Schirmer. This is a variety of painting that has a long and rich history and it’s worth taking a look more closely. Not to be confused with the contemporary Tempera Paint—also sometimes called Poster Paint, which is a cheap mixture of pigments with glue sizing—traditional Egg Tempera is a mixture of pigments with egg yolk that forms a permanent, fast-drying surface.

Egg tempera paintings are very durable and the medium was favored in the ancient world for that reason. Examples of egg tempera still exist from Egypt, Greece, Rome and India dating back more than two thousand years, but the real flowering of the technique occurred in Europe during the Medieval period, when it was the dominant form of painting up until the advent of oil paint in the 1500’s. Up until the middle of the Renaissance, the majority of paintings on wooden panels were done in egg tempera (the rest were encaustic which is not nearly as durable), with perhaps the most famous example of the time being Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”. Even as oil paint began to take over, tempera was still used in the underpainting stage because of its fast drying time, but it was the popularity of canvas supports that eventually phased out tempera, which requires a rigid surface, like a wood panel or a plaster wall, to prevent the dry paint from cracking.

Phil Schirmer describes the egg tempera technique as follows:
“The first step is to prepare a traditional gesso by mixing crushed marble or precipitated chalk with rabbit skin glue. This is heated and applied in six to eight coats to a masonite panel (the Italians used either poplar or linden wood panels). After drying, the surface is smoothed by a wooden block dipped in water. The panel is then lightly sanded and left to cure for a few days before painting. The paint is prepared by mixing powdered pigments with egg yolk and distilled water. Chicken's eggs are generally used, though Russian icon painters prefer goose eggs because they have a higher oil content. The paint is then applied in very thin layers to the panel. Cennini's technique calls for executing the entire first layer in a monochromatic tone (black or brown and white), then glazing in the colors. In principle, this is still done by contemporary tempera painters, though they may do the underpainting in different colors. Eventually, many layers of transparent paint are applied, working up into the highlights and down into the shadows. It is this "layering" which gives tempera its unique quality. If done carefully, the tempera painter can create optical effects that can't be obtained by any other medium. No finishing is required. Over the course of several years, the surface will harden and become more durable than any oil-based varnish.”

Although egg tempera has never fully regained it’s former popularity, throughout the centuries artists have frequently “rediscovered” the special qualities that make tempera painting a unique artform. Notable artists who have worked in the medium include William Blake, the Pre-Raphaelites, Giorgio de Chirico, Thomas Hart Benton, Ben Shahn and Andrew Wyeth. You can find a wealth of information on the subject as well as communities of artists like Phil Schirmer who are committed to keeping this artform relevant to the world we live in. Visit the The Art School at BINDERS to find out more about Phil’s upcoming workshop!

This Week @ BINDERS - December 6-12

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:16:00 +0000

BINDERS HAPPENINGS

The time to look at the upcoming schedule for The Art School at BINDERS is right now! We have a veritable smorgasbord of classes and workshops to ring in the new year and you’ll want to sign up soon to make sure your space is reserved. We’ll be featuring Oil Painting with Charles Walls, Acrylic and Oil Painting with JZ Torre, Architectural Renderings with Joyce Carll, Encaustic Painting with Penny Treese, Illuminated Manuscripts with Shannon Forester, Screen Printing with the Atlanta Printmakers Studio, Silk Dye Painting with Hellene Vermillion, plus workshops in Egg Tempera Painting, Clay Portrait Modeling and Anne Elser’s popular Container Workshop! There is literally something for everyone at BINDERS in 2011!

ART CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

Monday, December 6:

Guided Open Studio with Kay Powell
10:30am-1pm, Every Monday | Beginner to Intermediate
Fee: $17/per session. Please pay the instructor. No registration necessary.

Tuesday, December 7:

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
1-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Nov. 2-Dec. 14 (no class Nov. 23)
Open to all levels | Fee: $155

Bookmaking Two: The Opened Book with Anne Elser1:30-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Dec.7-Jan. 25 (no class Dec. 21, 28)
Intermediate-Advanced | Fee: $155

Bookmaking One: Beginning Bookmaking with Anne Elser
6-8:30pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Dec.7-Jan. 25 (no class Dec. 21, 28)
Beginner-Intermediate | Fee: $155

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
6-8:30pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Nov. 2-Dec. 14 (no class Nov. 23)
Open to all levels | Fee: $155

Wednesday, December 8:

Calligraphy Three: Advanced Calligraphy with Anne Elser6-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 6 Sessions, Dec.8-Jan. 26 (no class Dec. 22, 29)
Intermediate-Advanced | Fee: $155

Thursday, December 9:

No special art events today.

Friday, December 10:

No special art events today.

Saturday, December 11:

No special art events today.

Sunday, December 12:

No special art events today.

Please note: Classes on this schedule are in our Atlanta store unless otherwise indicated. For more information please email or call Eli Pelizza at 404.237.6331 ext. 203.

Check out the full list of our upcoming art classes and art workshops! Sign up for 5 classes, workshops or demos and receive 25% OFF THE SIXTH!

THE LIMELIGHT GALLERY

The Subject of Art #17: Yantra - The Abstract and Sacred Art of India

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:41:00 +0000

Many of us are familiar with the figurative art that comes from the Hindu tradition of India, the brightly colored and imaginative scenes of blue-skinned Krishna, the elephant-headed Ganesha and the dancing Shiva Nataraj are certainly familiar to anyone who has set foot in a local yoga studio and have managed to find their way into the popular consciousness of Western cultures. Less well known is the far more esoteric but equally rich paradigm of non-objective art known as the yantra.

In Sanskrit, the sacred language of India, “yantra” means “instrument” or “machine”, implying that this is a form of art that is used for a particular purpose, in this case as an aid to meditation and as a focus in religious ceremonies. The origins of the yantras are shrouded in mystery and it is uncertain when they were first developed and used. Legend has it that the famous philosopher and Hindu saint Adi Shankara traveled around Southern India installing yantras in the temples there in the 8th century CE, many of which can still be seen today, so if the legends are to be believed then yantras have been part of the Hindu consciousness for at least one and a half millennia.

The yantra is an abstract design whose components have very specific, symbolic meanings. They are carefully balanced images combining squares, triangles circles, flower-like forms with varying numbers of petals and other linear forms. Some of these are interestingly familiar to us from other cultural references, such as the interlocking triangles, one pointing up and the other down, that is called the Star of David in Judaism, in a yantra represents the intersection of masculine and feminine energies as well as the point at which divine grace coming down from heaven meets the spiritual seekers aspiration for enlightenment. An arrangement of eight flower petals represent the five elements that make up the material universe, plus the three states of mind (intellect, wisdom and ego).

The yantra is primarily used as a tool for meditation in yoga practice. The meditator stares directly into the center point of the yantra (called the “bindu”) and attempts to clear the mind of all other thoughts – a task that is far more difficult than it sounds! Over time, the physical yantra is less necessary, as the meditator is able to visualize the yantra on a purely mental level and various techniques are taught for mentally constructing the yantra, either beginning from the center and working outwards or the reverse, depending on the school of meditation being practice. The object is to become fully identified with the energy represented by the yantra.

Each yantra is associated with a certain deity in the Hindu pantheon, and each deity is associated with certain energies. The goddess Saraswati, for example, is associated with learning, creativity and purity of thought, so meditating on a Saraswati yantra is thought to amplify those qualities in the practitioner. The goddess Lakshmi is associated with abundance, fertility and wealth, while the goddess Durga is associated with protection and the ability to defeat one’s enemies (who are defined by yogic philosophy as the demons of the ego). During religious ceremonies that honor these deities, yantras are often used in addition to, or occasionally in place of, anthropomorphic icons, demonstrating that they have many dimensions and manifestations. These yantras are typically inscribed on metal plates or carved from precious stones.

If you have the opportunity to see a yantra, take some time to stare deeply into its center, clear your mind of all other thoughts and see what comes up for you!

Visit BINDERS website!

This Week @ BINDERS - November 29-December 5

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:06:00 +0000

BINDERS HAPPENINGS

Need a one of a kind Holiday gift, wall hanging or addition to your own scarf collection? See what the ancient art of silk dye painting is all about in this fun filled workshop. Join accomplished silk painter Hellene Vermillion and learn a few techniques used in creating silk dye painted scarves and paintings. You will create your own 11"x60" silk scarves using a water based resist and Jacquard Green Label dyes. Hellene’s Holiday Silk Workshop for beginner and intermediate silk painters is happening on Saturday, December 4th from 12-4 pm. Sign up online or ask a sales associate in the store!

ART CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

Monday, November 29:

Guided Open Studio with Kay Powell
10:30am-1pm, Every Monday | Beginner to Intermediate
Fee: $17/per session. Please pay the instructor. No registration necessary.

Tuesday, November 30:

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
1-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Nov. 2-Dec. 14 (no class Nov. 23)
Open to all levels | Fee: $155

Bookmaking Two: The Opened Book with Anne Elser
6-8:30pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Oct. 26-Nov. 30
Intermediate-Advanced | Fee: $155

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
6-8:30pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Nov. 2-Dec. 14 (no class Nov. 23)
Open to all levels | Fee: $155

Wednesday, December 1:

Calligraphy Two: Copperplate with Anne Elser
6-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 5 Sessions, Oct. 27-Dec. 1
Beginner-Intermediate | Fee: $135

Thursday, December 2:

No special art events today.

Friday, December 3:

No special art events today.

Saturday, December 4:

Holiday Silk with Hellenne Vermillion12-4pm, Sat. Dec. 4 | Beginner to Intermediate
Fee: $100 (Price includes some materials) | Sign up now!

Sunday, December 5:

No special art events today.

Please note: Classes on this schedule are in our Atlanta store unless otherwise indicated. For more information please email or call Eli Pelizza at 404.237.6331 ext. 203.

Check out the full list of our upcoming art classes and art workshops! Sign up for 5 classes, workshops or demos and receive 25% OFF THE SIXTH!

THE LIMELIGHT GALLERY

The Subject of Art #16: Fresco - Art Made to Last!

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:48:00 +0000

When was the last time you found yourself browsing the website of the Vatican? There may actually be a reason to do so now! J.Z.Torre, who teaches painting classes here at BINDERS, let us know about a fantastic web page, hosted by the Pope himself, that lets you take a virtual spin around the famous Sistine Chapel. This wonderfully done application lets you fly up into the air and get a close look at all of the artwork covering the walls and ceiling of the chapel, so you can see the paintings in the context of the entire room, which is very difficult to do in a book. As an added bonus, you don’t have to deal with the crowds!

Here’s the link: http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

The paintings that you see in the Sistine Chapel were created using a technique called “fresco,” which is very ancient and has a number of interesting permutations. The basic concept of the fresco is a painting done directly onto, or into, a plaster wall, what we would refer to today as a mural. Fresco paintings are of two types: “buon fresco”, which is when the artist applies pigment directly into the wet plaster, and “a secco”, which is when the artist paints over a dried plaster surface with a conventional paint. Ancient examples of buon fresco can be found in Italy, where the Romans made extensive use of it in decorating their buildings. The most well preserved examples are inside structures that were buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The a secco technique was used by the Egyptians and can be found still intact in many of their tomb complexes that were sealed off from the elements. The fragile watercolor paint used by the Egyptians did not last anywhere else, so the remains of their temples and homes show only the bare stone surface.

Most of the paintings in the Sistine Chapel were executed in the buon fresco style, with only a few additions being added later in the a secco style. Buon fresco is a difficult technique on account of the rapid drying time of the plaster, which begins to seal after eight to ten hours. The artist would need to do a great deal of pre-planning before each session to determine how much painting could be done in a particular day, then the wet plaster would be laid down covering just enough of the wall that it could be completely painted before it dried too much. The pigment was simply mixed with a little water and then brushed into the wet plaster, mixing with it and effectively becoming part of the wall. That is the secret to the buon fresco’s durability: as long as the plaster wall stays intact, the painting will be perfectly protected. So we begin to see an explosion of fresco paintings during the Middle Ages when they were installed in churches. Because the church was a building that was usually protected and preserved, the paintings within its walls were also similarly preserved and remain available for us to view today.

The a secco method, in which the dry plaster is painted over with watercolor, tempera, encaustic or some other paint medium, is much less permanent and is subject to being scratched or abraded off the wall. A secco painting was often used to touch up the buon fresco, especially where the seams were visible in between one day’s layer of plaster and the next. Over time the a secco paint would flake off, revealing the sections of plaster and giving a window into the artist’s process.

The paintings in the chapel were commissioned by Popes Sixtus IV and Julius II, beginning in 1480, and feature the work of some of the Renaissance’s most celebrated artists. The central tier of the walls feature a series of works by Ghirlandaio, Botticelli and Perugino that depict the lives of Moses and Jesus. But, of course, the most famous sections are the upper tier of the walls, the entire vaulted ceiling and the wall behind the altar that were painted by Michelangelo. Interestingly, Michelangelo was much more focused on sculpture and didn’t consider himself to be much of a painter, so he initially resisted the commission, but in those days if the Pope told you to do something you did it! We are all the more fortunate that that was the case.

This Week @ BINDERS - November 15-21

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:36:00 +0000

BINDERS HAPPENINGS

Visit BINDERS for all of your creative holiday gifts! Shop our holiday gift guide and check out the new show up at The Limelight Gallery in BINDERS! The Atlanta Fine Arts League is presenting “Small Works,” an art exhibition and sale of works by local artists that provides a great opportunity to shop for unique and affordably priced gifts this holiday season. “Small Works” is running from November 15th to December 15th, plus you can meet the artists at the opening reception on November 20th at 5 pm! It’s all happening right here at BINDERS.

ART CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

Monday, November 15:

Guided Open Studio with Kay Powell
10:30am-1pm, Every Monday | Beginner to Intermediate
Fee: $17/per session. Please pay the instructor. No registration necessary.

Tuesday, November 16:

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
1-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Nov. 2-Dec. 14 (no class Nov. 23)
Open to all levels | Fee: $155

Bookmaking Two: The Opened Book with Anne Elser
6-8:30pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Oct. 26-Nov. 30
Intermediate-Advanced | Fee: $155

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
6-8:30pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Nov. 2-Dec. 14 (no class Nov. 23)
Open to all levels | Fee: $155

Wednesday, November 17:

Calligraphy Two: Copperplate with Anne Elser
6-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 5 Sessions, Oct. 27-Dec. 1
Beginner-Intermediate | Fee: $135

Silk Dye Painting Basics with Hellenne Vermillion
5:30-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 5 Sessions, Oct. 13-Nov. 17 (no class Nov. 3)
Beginner to Intermediate | Some materials included in fee | Fee: $145

Thursday, November 18:

No special art events today.

Friday, November 19:

No special art events today.

Saturday, November 20:

Modern Impressionism-In-Oil with Colley Whisson10am-4:30pm, Sat. and Sun. Nov 20-21 | Open to all levels | Fee: $250 | This workshop is currently full. Please Call Eli Pelizza to be added to the waiting list. 404.237.6331 ext 203

Smallworks Art Exhibition and Sale by The Atlanta Fine Arts League5-7pm, Opening reception

Sunday, November 21:

Modern Impressionism-In-Oil with Colley Whisson
10am-4:30pm, Sat. and Sun. Nov 20-21 | Open to all levels | Fee: $250 | This workshop is currently full. Please Call Eli Pelizza to be added to the waiting list. 404.237.6331 ext 203

Please note: Classes on this schedule are in our Atlanta store unless otherwise indicated. For more information please email or call Eli Pelizza at 404.237.6331 ext. 203.

Check out the full list of our upcoming art classes and art workshops! Sign up for 5 classes, workshops or demos and receive 25% OFF THE SIXTH!

THE LIMELIGHT GALLERY

Tips & Tricks #15: Glazing — How to Make Paintings Glow With an Inner Light! Part 1: History and Mechanics

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Have you ever been to an art museum and looked on the vast array of beautifully executed paintings wondering how on Earth did the artists get such rich, deep colors that seem to radiate light out from within?

Ever since the 15th century, when oil paint first started to become popular as a fine art medium, painters have been using a technique known as "glazing" to create their fantastic colors. Glazing takes a lot of practice to master, but it is not a complex process in an of itself, so with some patience and diligent effort, you can get that same depth and richness in your own paintings!

In Part 1 of this subject we'll look at the history of the glazing technique, how it developed and who some of the major players were, and we'll also delve into the mechanics of glazing with the intention of gaining an understanding of why glazes look so wonderful.

Let's begin with the mechanics. A glaze, by definition, is a thin, semi-transparent layer of colored paint. Typically a small amount of colored paint is mixed with some proportionally greater amount of clear medium to form the glaze, with the exact proportions being dependent on how much of the underlying paint surface you which to see through the glaze. The glazing technique is accomplished by first rendering a monochromatic underpainting, usually with white and another color like burnt sienna, ivory black or green earth. The underpainting should present a rough, sketchy version of the final painting, showing the different forms that make up the composition and presenting basic areas of value that delineate the lights and the shadows. Once the underpainting is COMPLETELY dry, a glaze of a particular color is prepared and then painted over the top of it. Because of the transparency of the glaze layer, the underpainting will still be visible, but it will now be tinted with the hue of the glaze. In most cases it is proper to wait until the glaze layer is dry before applying another one. Each successive layer adds greater complexity and richness to the colors and provides an opportunity for the artist to refine the forms and accentuate the details in the composition. This is just a brief description, we'll get more into the actual step-by-step process in the next chapter of this subject.

So you can probably see already that glazing allows for the creation of very developed and purposeful color schemes because it separates the process into a series of layers and allows the artist to contemplate exactly how much of a particular color to put in a certain area of the painting. Over time, the glazes will build up to create a level of complexity that closely matches that of the real world, which is why glazed paintings can be startlingly photorealistic. In this way, glazing is a technique that can be used to good effect in any painting medium that allows for transparency: oil, acrylic and watercolor being the main ones. However, while glazing is an important technique in both acrylics and watercolors, it is in oil painting that the true majesty of it becomes apparent. The reason for this is because of the physical nature of oil paints which make them different from other media.

Oil paint is essentially pigment mixed with a drying vegetable oil, typically linseed oil, although walnut and poppyseed oil can also be found in certain cases. When oil paint dries, the chemical properties of the oil actually change on a molecular level, becoming a totally different substance from the wet version. This is important because it means that when a wet layer of oil paint is layered over a dry one, the wet layer will stick to the dry one, since it has adhesive properties, but the two will always remain separate layers. With both watercolor and acrylic paint on the other hand, painting one layer over another results in a complete bonding of the two layers that results in one thick layer with stratifications of color. So the secret to the oil painting's beauty is the way that light reflects off the surface of the glazes.

Since glaze layers are translucent, the light passes through them until it reaches the opaque underpainting, then it is reflected back out through the glazes again and goes into the eyes of the viewer. With an acrylic or watercolor painting, the light reacts to the glazes as if they were all one layer, no matter how many layers went into the creation of the color, so it passes through the one layer, reflects off the underpainting and comes back out through that one layer, with the result being one-dimensional (so to speak). With an oil painting, the light passes through each layer as a separate stage before hitting the underpainting, and as the light passes from one layer to the next it becomes slightly refracted resulting in an increase in depth and richness to the color. So, if you have a painting that has three glazed layers on it, the light passes through each of those layers, refracting each time, reflects off of the underpainting and passes back through all three layers again, refracting even more and resulting in a much more complex and realistic looking color.

Now imagine the painting with ten layers of glaze, or twenty! This refraction of light through the translucent layers of glazed color is the secret to why those paintings in the museum look so great and, since this quality is unique to oil paint, it is one of the reasons why oil painting has never been eclipsed by newer varieties of paint like acrylic.

Although oil paint was in use for quite some time beforehand, the peculiar qualities of the glazing technique did not become apparent until the 1400's. The primary medium for painting up until that time was egg tempera, a type of paint that is very opaque and did not lend itself to glazing at all. The early experimenters with glazing still used egg tempera when creating the underpainting, which had it's advantages since egg tempera dries very rapidly. The most famous of these early experiments is the "Arnolfini Portrait" by the Dutch painter Jan van Eyck in 1434. The technique seems to have been immediately and spectacularly successful as is evident from the richness of the colors in this early work by a master artist. The possibilities were not lost on the art world of 15th century Europe and within the next hundred years oil paint came to supplant egg tempera almost completely. With the development and ensuing popularity of canvas as a support, tempera was no longer used even in the underpainting, so oil paint became the dominant painting medium for the next 500 or so years until the invention of acrylic polymer.

Next week we'll look at the actual process of how a painting is constructed using glaze layers!

This Week @ BINDERS - November 8-14

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:48:00 +0000

BINDERS HAPPENINGS

Treat yourself this holiday season with a gift of artistic knowledge! Sign up for Holiday Silk Painting Workshop with Hellene Vermillion on December 4th to see what the ancient art of silk dye painting is all about in this fun filled event! Join this accomplished silk painter and learn a few techniques used in creating silk dye painted scarves and paintings. Also, Anne Elser has several classes in Bookmaking and Calligraphy starting the week of December 6th. Learn the fundamentals of making books and boxes with a variety of materials and techniques. PLUS our list of classes, workshops and lectures is now posted from now til May 2011! Sign up online or stop by the store to reserve your space today!
ART CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

Monday, November 8:

Guided Open Studio with Kay Powell
10:30am-1pm, Every Monday | Beginner to Intermediate
Fee: $17/per session. Please pay the instructor. No registration necessary.

FREE Copyright Seminar | Protecting Your Art, The Law with Deborah Gonzalez
6-8pm, Mon. Nov. 8 | For all levels & media | FREE

Tuesday, November 9:

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
1-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Nov. 2-Dec. 14 (no class Nov. 23)
Open to all levels | Fee: $155

Bookmaking Two: The Opened Book with Anne Elser
6-8:30pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Oct. 26-Nov. 30
Intermediate-Advanced | Fee: $155

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
6-8:30pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Nov. 2-Dec. 14 (no class Nov. 23)
Open to all levels | Fee: $155

Wednesday, November 10:

Calligraphy Two: Copperplate with Anne Elser
6-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 5 Sessions, Oct. 27-Dec. 1
Beginner-Intermediate | Fee: $135

Silk Dye Painting Basics with Hellenne Vermillion
5:30-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 5 Sessions, Oct. 13-Nov. 17 (no class Nov. 3)
Beginner to Intermediate | Some materials included in fee | Fee: $145

Thursday, November 11:

Mixed Media and Collage Class with Kay Powell
9:30am-12pm, Thursdays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 30-Nov. 11 (no class Nov. 4)
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $135

Friday, November 12:

No special art events today.

Saturday, November 13:

No special art events today

Sunday, November 14:

No special art events today

Please note: Classes on this schedule are in our Atlanta store unless otherwise indicated. For more information please email or call Eli Pelizza at 404.237.6331 ext. 203.

Check out the full list of our upcoming art classes and art workshops! Sign up for 5 classes, workshops or demos and receive 25% OFF THE SIXTH!

THE LIMELIGHT GALLERYThe Art School in Sandy Springs Student/Instructor Show
Showing November 1-14

Visit BINDERS website!

The Subject of Art #15: Titian and the Venetian Renaissance!

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 13:00:00 +0000

We have an unprecedented opportunity here in Atlanta to experience the wonder of painting on a truly masterpiece scale! The High Museum has opened a new exhibition, as of October 17th, entitled "Titian and the Golden Age of Venetian Painting," which features twenty five works by some of the most famous names in Western art history: Tintoretto, Veronese, Lotto and two very special works by the supreme painter of 16th century Venice, Titian. The exhibition represents a collaboration between the High Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, to bring this incredible array of artistic vision and talent over from the National Galleries in Scotland. It is particularly exciting since the two paintings by Titian have never traveled to the United States before, one of them having been purchased from a private collection less than two years ago. Let's take a look and the life and work of Titian and gain a better understanding of why he was so important in his day and remains so relevant now!

Tiziano Vecellio, known popularly as Titian, was born sometime in the late 15th century (the exact date is not known), to a well-to-do family in a small town in northern Italy. At a young age he was sent to Venice to become an apprentice to the painter Giovanni Bellini, who was the most successful artist in Venice at the time, where he learned all the basics of his craft. He then went on to serve as an assistant to the revered painter Giorgione, with whom he shares many stylistic traits. Some of the frescoes that he worked on during his time as an assistant can still be found in churches around Venice today. Giorgione died at a young age in 1510 and Giovanni Bellini passed on a few years later, leaving a vacuum in the art establishment of Venice which Titian boldly stepped into.

Fortunately for Titian (and all the rest of us), his talents as a painter were equal to his ambitions and his works soon became renowned and eagerly sought after throughout Europe. He was, on the one hand, a gifted portrait painter who was given the ultimate commission in 1548 to paint the state portrait of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, and it is said that his portrait of Phillip II, the king of Spain, was instrumental in convincing England's Queen Mary to agree to marriage! However, Titian's true genius can be seen in his history paintings, with subjects ranging from Classical Mythology to the Bible to contemporary scenes of battles that had recently taken place. His ability to create complex compositions, full of chaotic movement that somehow resolves itself into the most beautiful harmonies, was unrivaled by anyone living at the time and placed him firmly in the same league as Michelangelo and Raphael. For the people in Europe during the 16th century, it was a great triumph to know that the brilliance of the great Renaissance master's was not just a momentary phenomenon, with the advent of Titian, they knew that there would continue to be great artists producing great works, each building on the pioneering works of their predecessors. Titian himself would go on to be one of the primary inspirations for the next generation of painters, including Rembrandt and Rubens, and he continues to inspire today.

The one thing that makes the work of Titian stand out, even from the giants of the Renaissance, was his amazing expertise with color. He had the eye and the skill to work out subtle, yet explosive, color harmonies that had a depth that went far beyond anything that had been seen before. While the art of someone like Michelangelo was based on a bold drawing style, Titian told his stories in color, with each shifting shade and hue carrying layers of meaning and wonder. It is this fantastic ability that still holds us spellbound today and makes Titian a worthy subject for the twenty-first century artist to study.

To that end, a trip to the High Museum to visit this exhibition will be worth far more than the price of admission to the true lover of art. The two paintings by Titian, "Diana and Callisto" and "Diana and Actaeon," painted in 1559, represent him at the height of his powers and fame and will allow you to get the full effect of his formidable talent.

We'll see you there and we also hope to see you at BINDERS Artfolio coming up the first weekend of November!

This Week @ BINDERS - October 25-31

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 19:30:00 +0000

BINDERS HAPPENINGS

BINDERS' biennial art materials exhibition, Artfolio, is less than two weeks away! Join us Friday, Nov. 5th, through Sunday, Nov. 7th, for an amazing series of lectures and demos on everything from canvas stretching to inkjet papers to encaustics! Check out the Artfolio page on our website for more information and a complete schedule of events.

This is the LAST week of BINDERS' Fall Sale! Stop in the store to get the best deals on canvas, sketchbooks, pencils, brushes and all the other basics that every artist needs while prices are at their lowest!

ART CLASSES and WORKSHOPS

Monday, October 25:

Guided Open Studio with Kay Powell
10:30am-2pm, Every Monday | Beginner to Intermediate
Fee: $17/per session. Please pay the instructor. No registration necessary.

Tuesday, October 26:

Bookmaking Two: The Opened Book with Anne Elser
6-8:30pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Oct. 26-Nov. 30
Intermediate-Advanced | Fee: $155

Wednesday, October 27:

Calligraphy Two: Copperplate with Anne Elser6-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 5 Sessions, Oct. 27-Dec. 1
Beginner-Intermediate | Fee: $135

Silk Dye Painting Basics with Hellenne Vermillion
5:30-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 5 Sessions, Oct. 13-Nov. 17 (no class Nov. 3)
Beginner to Intermediate | Some materials included in fee
Fee: $145 | Sign up now!

Thursday, October 28:

Mixed Media and Collage Class with Kay Powell
9:30am-12pm, Thursdays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 30-Nov. 11 (no class Nov. 4)
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $135

Signature and Sound Opening Reception
3-5pm, Thurs. Oct. 28

Friday, October 29:

No special art events today.

Saturday, October 30:

Beginning Adult Watercolor with Barry Sholder
11am-4pm, Sat. & Sun. Oct. 30-31
Beginner | Fee: $155 | Sign up now!

Sunday, October 31:

Beginning Adult Watercolor with Barry Sholder
12-5pm, Sat. & Sun. Oct. 30-31
Beginner | Fee: $155 | Sign up now!

Please note: Classes on this schedule are in our Atlanta store unless otherwise indicated. For more information please email or call Eli Pelizza at 404.237.6331 ext. 203.

Check out the full list of our upcoming art classes and art workshops! Sign up for 5 classes, workshops or demos and receive 25% OFF THE SIXTH!

THE LIMELIGHT GALLERY

Visit BINDERS website!

Tips & Tricks #13: Drips & Splatters - Pollock's Technique in the 21st Century

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Jackson Pollock became an icon of Modern Art in the 1950's by daring to break down the concept of painting to an apparently random looking assortment of drips and splatters on the canvas. A first glance at one of Mr. Pollock's paintings has often elicited the response "My kid can paint better than that!", but upon further reflection and by investigating his body of work, one can clearly see that there was much more going on than it seems on the surface and that what looked to be a simple, mindless way of putting paint on a canvas was in fact far more complex.

Although one painting by itself may not appear to make much sense, viewing several of Pollock's paintings in a row, or better yet being surrounded by them in an exhibition, one can see the repetitive motifs that run through them - the broad arcs of paint that trace the extent of his arm's reach or the sinuous, vine-like lines that echo his signature flick of fluid paint off of the brush. If one chooses to step just a little bit further into Pollock's world, it becomes clear that there was a great deal of forethought and intention behind every mark and that the use of his controversial technique was another way to break down the barriers of the viewers preconceptions about what constitutes a works of art.

Jackson Pollock's paintings began with a primed, but unstretched, canvas laid out on the floor. The fact that the canvas was not on a frame was important since the scale of the work was usually very large, so it would be necessary for him to actually step on the canvas at certain times while painting. The brushes that Pollock favored were old house painting brushes that had hardened with dried paint until they became totally stiff. These afforded him the grip and balance of a brush, while allowing for a hard end like a stick that enabled greater control over the paint as it fell off the brush. Finally, his paint had to be thinned to just the right consistency to allow it to drip and flow freely, but still be thick enough to be easily guided by his hand and to leave coherent lines on the canvas. For most of his career, he used traditional oil paints that were thinned with the right amount of turpentine, but by the height of his output he was already experimenting with other mediums, particularly enamel paints that were usually used for house painting or industrial purposes. He liked the enamels because they were just the right consistency for his dripping and pouring technique right out of the can, so no thinning was needed, plus he took an interest in colors that had a metallic sheen, that were not available as pigments for oil paint at that time. Unfortunately, oil paints and enamels don't mix together, which is one of several reasons why Pollock's paintings are very fragile and difficult to maintain. There is actually a group of conservators whose entire job is to work on Pollock's paintings and make sure they stay in one piece! The materials of his time just weren't up to the standards that he needed to fulfill his visions.

If Jackson Pollock were alive and working today, the story would be quite different! Fluid acrylic paints would have provided much of the paint consistency he was looking for, pre-mixed into the full spectrum of colors required by fine artists and including a range of metallic colors. His techniques made no use of blending colors, so the switch from oil to acrylic paint would most likely have been very natural for him. In addition, there are now a couple of acrylic mediums that can be added to the paint that are specifically designed to create spectacular dripping effects, inspired by Pollock's example!

Tar Gel by Golden and String Gel by Liquitex are essentially two versions of a medium that, when mixed with fluid acrylics, gives a honey-like consistency to the paints. After adding the gel to the paint and mixing thoroughly, one should wait about ten minutes or so to let the air bubbles rise up and out before using it. Then, with a palette knife, or perhaps Pollock's favorite - the stiff, paint-hardened brush, you can scoop up some of the mixture and let it drip off to create long lines. Golden claims their Tar Gel has sufficient consistency to hold together in a solid line that reaches three stories! Both the Tar and String Gels are thick enough to allow for an unprecedented level of control when dripping, so the possibilities for intentional technique become much greater.

Liquitex has recently created another product called Pouring Medium which can, as the name suggests, allow the fluid acrylics to be poured more easily onto the canvas. Like the Tar and String Gels, color should be mixed into the medium first and then it should be left for a few minutes to allow the air to escape. The special qualities of the Pouring Medium will become more apparent as it hits the surface of the canvas, because the medium has been formulated to mix colors in a very special way. When one color mixed with Pouring Medium is dripped over another color mixed with Pouring Medium, the two colors will puddle together and form all sorts of organic lines and flowing shapes, an effect which is known as marbling.

These are just a few examples of the ways in which the work of a pioneering artist can help the evolution of art as a whole, opening up new techniques and methods of expression that we can all enjoy. Thank you Mr. Pollock!

This Week @ BINDERS - October 11-17

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:10:00 +0000

BINDERS HAPPENINGS

Preparations for Artfolio are heating up so save the date for Fri. Nov. 5 - Sun. Nov. 7! Check out the our website to see a schedule of presenters and descriptions of the techniques and products they'll be using. We're going to have the experts doing demonstrations on Prismacolor pencils, Shiva Paintstiks, Origami, Screen Printing, Mold-making and Casting, the list goes on and on! This is going to be one heck of a weekend, so plan on being here!

ART CLASSES and WORKSHOPS

Monday, October 11:

Guided Open Studio with Kay Powell
10:30am-2pm, Every Monday | Beginner to Intermediate
Fee: $17/per session. Please pay the instructor. No registration necessary.

Contemporary Gold Leaf 1 with Shannon Forester
1-4pm, Mondays, 5 Sessions, Sept.13-Oct.11
Beginners to Intermediate (includes some materials) | Fee: $170

Tuesday, October 12:

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
1-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Sept.14-Oct.19, | Open to all levels | Fee: $155

Bookmaking 1: Beginning Bookmaking with Anne Elser
1:30-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 sessions, Sept. 7-Oct. 12
Beginning-Intermediate | Fee: $155

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
6-8:30pm, see details above

Bookmaking 1: Beginning Bookmaking with Anne Elser
6:30-8pm, see details above

Wednesday, October 13:

Acrylic Painting, Impressionist-Style with J.Z.Torre
1-4pm, Wednesdays, 6 Sessions, Sept.15-Oct.20
For Advanced Beginners to Intermediate | Fee: $175

Silk Dye Painting Basics with Hellenne Vermillion
5:30-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 5 Sessions, Oct. 13-Nov. 17 (no class Nov. 3)
Beginner to Intermediate | Some materials included in fee
Fee: $145 | Sign up now!

Calligraphy One: Italic with Anne Elser
6-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 6 sessions, Sept. 8-Oct.13
Beginner-Intermediate | Fee: $155

Thursday, October 14:

Mixed Media and Collage Class with Kay Powell
9:30am-12pm, Thursdays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 30-Nov. 11 (no class Nov. 4)
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $135

Block Printing 1: Beginning Printmaking with Atlanta Printmakers Studio
1-4pm, Thursdays, 4 sessions, Oct. 14-Nov. 11 (no class Nov. 4)
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $135 | Sign up now!

Block Printing 1: Beginning Printmaking with Atlanta Printmakers Studio
6-8:30pm, Thursdays, 4 sessions, Oct. 14-Nov. 11 (no class Nov. 4)
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $135 | Sign up now!

Friday, October 15:

Time Travelers with Barbara Bailey
4-5:30pm, Fridays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 10-Oct. 15
For children in Grades 3-5 | materials included | Fee: $125

Saturday, October 16:

Collapsible Container Workshop with Anne Elser
10:30am-5:30pm, Sat. & Sun. Oct. 16-17 | Open to all levels | Fee: $155 | Sign up now!

Sunday, October 17:

Collapsible Container Workshop with Anne Elser
11:30am-6pm, Sat. & Sun. Oct. 16-17 | Open to all levels | Fee: $155 | Sign up now!

Please note: Classes on this schedule are in our Atlanta store unless otherwise indicated. For more information please email or call Eli Pelizza at 404.237.6331 ext. 203.

Check out the full list of our upcoming art classes and art workshops! Sign up for 5 classes, workshops or demos and receive 25% OFF THE SIXTH!

THE LIMELIGHT GALLERY

Visit BINDERS website!

The Subject of Art #14: The History of Colors, Chapter 5: The Organic Revolution!

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Contrary to what you may associate with this subject, this final chapter on color is not about food, it's about the shift in modern times towards an organic way of thinking. Most of the pigments we've looked at in previous chapters were inorganic, being derived from metals and minerals. Unfortunately, mining for these inorganic pigments is a labor and/or cost intensive process, so artists, alchemists and scientists from all different time periods have always been searching for better alternatives.

The solution, however, did not come about until relatively recently, when advances in organic chemistry made it possible to create whatever colors we desired from their component parts. After that, the spectrum of color exploded into a whole new rainbow of bright, lightfast variations and completed the range of hues that we are familiar with today and that you can find in the paint aisles at BINDERS.

Organic pigments have always been known and used since humans began coloring things. In our previous explorations, we have touch upon a couple: Indigo, which is derived from plants, Tyrian Purple, which comes from an insect called the cochineal, and Indian Yellow, which is derived from the urine of cows who were fed a steady diet of mango leaves. There were many others in use for thousands of years as well, most prominently the root of the madder plant, which produces a bright crimson red color (which was the red used for centuries in the uniforms of British soldiers, the Redcoats!).

Without exception these pigments derived from plant and animal sources are quite unstable, being very likely to fade over short periods of time, so, while these natural organic pigments were often used by artists, if a suitable inorganic pigment became available that filled the same niche in the color wheel then the organic one would usually be dropped right away. Natural organic colors were most popular in the textile industry as ingredients for dyes, which makes more sense because one might expect clothing not to last for more than a few years of heavy use anyway, plus they could always be re-dyed at some point if desired (which is not a particularly easy thing do do with a painting!).

The aforementioned madder root became the first natural organic pigment to be replaced by a synthetic pigment, which we know today as Alizarin Crimson, in 1869. The chemical compound Anthracene was synthesized from coal-tar, a byproduct of the industrial production of coke, which was used as fuel for stoves and furnaces and for smelting iron. Once the chemical process for production of Alizarin Crimson was perfected, the madder root dye industry collapsed practically overnight, a sequence of events that would occur repeatedly as scientists discovered and developed synthetic versions of organic colors that were brighter, more durable and cost less to manufacture. The original Alizarin Crimson pigment is still in use 150 years later, although its lightfastness rating is low compared to the colors that would be produced in later centuries. The newer versions are usually a mixture of two or more synthetic organic pigments labelled as Alizarin Permanent or Alizarin Crimson Hue.

The phenomenal advancements that occurred in pigments during the 20th century were largely the result of industrial manufacturing and the requirements of objects in everyday life to be brightly colored, with the application of those pigments filtering their way into the artist's palette after they had been thoroughly tested out in the world. The first leap forward occurred in the 1930's with the development of Phthalocyanine Blue, which was originally created as a more stable cyan color for the printing industry. The intensity and durability of Phthalo Blue made it suitable for all sorts of applications and sparked off a rush of research into pigments synthesized from the carbon molecules found in petroleum. The chemical structure of these synthetic organic pigments is similar to plastic, so as the plastics industry advanced, so to did the science of color production. Phthalo Blue was quickly followed by Phthalo Green, while new organic compounds helped to fill out the color spectrum. The automobile industry had a lot to do with the development of a wide range of colors, since car paint needs to be extremely durable and people like having cars that are bright and shiny. Synthetics like Quinacridone Red and Arylamide Yellow (also called Hansa Yellow), helped to fill that need.

From the point of view of fine artists, the color range was expanded tremendously, and furthermore, the synthetic organics are very pure, "clean" colors, with very little gray or brown undertones. A certain amount of "muddying up" the colors was found to be necessary to achieve a more natural look, since the real world actually has a whole lot of gray and brown in it! As these new pigments were initially being assimilated into the art materials industry, many paint producers felt that the chemical names of the pigments sounded entirely too scientific and intimidating, so Phthalocyanine Blue became Winsor Blue for the Winsor and Newton company, and Naphthol Red became Grumbacher Red for the Grumbacher company. It's worth noting that, at least in the United States, paint manufacturers are required to list the pigments used for a particular color on the paint tube or jar, so you can look there to see exactly which pigments are being used to create it.

So this is where we stand today! We've gone a long way from digging up red and yellow dirt all the way to the modern organic chemist's laboratory and it's unlikely to end there. Who knows what the future may hold?

This Week @ BINDERS - October 4-10

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 15:35:00 +0000

BINDERS HAPPENINGS

SAVE THE DATE for Artfolio! Mark your calendars for Fri. Nov. 5 through Sun. Nov. 7. Come try new products or the products you've always wanted to learn how to use and join us for product and technique showcases from the best in the business (at our Atlanta location).

Our Fall Sale continues through the end of this month, so you can still save even more than usual on sketchbooks, canvases, brushes and all the rest of the most basic things every artist needs.

ART CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

Monday, October 4:

Guided Open Studio with Kay Powell
10:30am-2pm, Every Monday | Beginner to Intermediate
Fee: $17/per session. Please pay the instructor. No registration necessary.

Contemporary Gold Leaf 1 with Shannon Forester
1-4pm, Mondays, 5 Sessions, Sept.13-Oct.11
Beginners to Intermediate (includes some materials) | Fee: $170

Tuesday, October 5:

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
1-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Sept.14-Oct.19, | Open to all levels | Fee: $155

Bookmaking 1: Beginning Bookmaking with Anne Elser
1:30-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 sessions, Sept. 7-Oct. 12
Beginning-Intermediate | Fee: $155

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
6-8:30pm, see details above

Bookmaking 1: Beginning Bookmaking with Anne Elser
6:30-8pm, see details above

Wednesday, October 6:

Acrylic Painting, Impressionist-Style with J.Z.Torre
1-4pm, Wednesdays, 6 Sessions, Sept.15-Oct.20
For Advanced Beginners to Intermediate | Fee: $175

Silk Dye Painting Basics with Hellenne Vermillion
5:30-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 1-Oct. 6
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $170

Calligraphy One: Italic with Anne Elser
6-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 6 sessions, Sept. 8-Oct.13
Beginner-Intermediate | Fee: $155

Thursday, October 7:

Mixed Media and Collage Class with Kay Powell
9:30am-12pm, Thursdays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 30-Nov. 11 (no class Nov. 4)
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $135 | Sign up now!

Watercolor: Mixing, Color Theory & Application with Susan Bradford
6-8:30pm, Thursdays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 2-Oct. 7
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $155

Friday, October 8:

Time Travelers with Barbara Bailey
4-5:30pm, Fridays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 10-Oct. 15
For children in Grades 3-5 | materials included | Fee: $125

Saturday, October 9:

Button Closure Workshop with Anne Elser
10:30am-5:30pm, Sat. & Sun. Oct. 9-10, Fee: $155 | Sign up today!

Sunday, October 10:
Button Closure Workshop with Anne Elser
11:30am-6pm, Sat. & Sun. Oct. 9-10, Fee: $155 | Sign up today!

Please note: Classes on this schedule are in our Atlanta store unless otherwise indicated. For more information please email or call Eli Pelizza at 404.237.6331 ext. 203.

Check out the full list of our upcoming art classes and art workshops! Sign up for 5 classes, workshops or demos and receive 25% OFF THE SIXTH!

The Subject of Art # 13: The History of Colors, Chapter 4 - Synthetics Rule!

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0000

As we saw in last week’s chapter of the History of Colors, the search for a stable, bright and affordable blue pigment led to the discovery (or re-discovery, considering Egyptian Blue) of the process of making synthetic pigments — let’s take a look at a few of the most popular!

Cobalt Blue

Governments in 19th century Europe sometimes took a very active interest in supporting the arts. For example, in 1804 Minister Chaptal of in France appointed several chemists to do research into the creation of new, more permanent colors. One of the results of this project was the discovery that the blue pigment in Smalt—the metal known as Cobalt—could be removed from the glass it was naturally found in when roasted in a furnace with alumina, resulting in a much more intense and very stable pigment which we now know as Cobalt Blue. This bright and very pure blue became an instant hit and found its way into the skies of paintings by Maxfield Parrish, Vincent van Gogh (who described it as a “divine color”) and many others. With the success of Cobalt Blue, scientists altered the formula to produce many different colors from the original metal including yellows, greens and violets.

Viridian

The very popular and important green pigment known as Viridian was developed by the famous color-maker Pannetier in 1838. This brilliant and lightfast pigment has a bluish undertone and a very fine transparency that makes it excellent for glazing. Viridian was produced by mixing Boric Acid with Potassium Bichromate and then soaking the resulting salt crystals in water, resulting in a fiery, gem-like green color. Viridian quickly replaced most other greens because of its permanence, but also because the other most popular pigment, Emerald Green, was extremely toxic as has been detailed in an earlier chapter.

Cadmium
Cadmium Yellow, a very bright, opaque and permanent pigment, was first synthesized in 1820. The process involved mixing cadmium salts with a sulfide and heating, which would result in the intense yellow hue. Cadmium was, and still is, a very rare metal, so it was fairly expensive to obtain and remains one of the most costly types of pigments even today. In 1919 the process was altered by adding selenium to the formula which resulted in a bright red-orange pigment called Cadmium Red. Variations in the amount of selenium allowed a range of colors from orange to scarlet to red to maroon, all of which are beloved and much-used in contemporary art.

These inorganic synthetic pigments became widely distributed and accepted by the middle of the 19th century in Europe and, together with the invention of pre-packaged paint tubes, contributed directly to the accessibility of art materials to a much wider group of people than at any other time in history. Today, we take for granted that we can have a wide range of colors available at relatively low cost and already pre-mixed with oil, acrylic or watercolor mediums, and it’s easy to forget that it was not that long ago that none of this existed!

The artists of the time took full advantage of the new colors and it was these technological innovations that allowed the color explorations of Monet, Van Gogh, Seurat, Delaunay and many others to bloom and helped to launch what we now know as the Modern Art movement. The story doesn’t end here though, in the last chapter of our History of Colors, we’ll look at the innovations of the 20th century and the development of new synthetic colors from organic compounds!

What kinds of topics are you interested in learning about? Let us know!

This Week @ BINDERS - September 27-October 3

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0000

BINDERS HAPPENINGS

There’s still time to get the sale price on many October workshops! Interesting in exploring multi-media techniques using watercolor, dyes, soft and oil pastels, acrylics, oils, encaustics and more? Sign up for Surface Design Done Right with Celia Buchanan October 9-10. Later in the month, take Beginning Acrylics with Kay Powell and learn how to put your art into words with Judith Schonbak's Artist Statement, Bio, Web Writing Workshop. Sign up now to get discounts up to 15% off the tuition!

Want more savings? BINDERS’ Back-to-School sale is still going strong, so come into the store to get all the basics at the lowest prices in town!

ART CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

Monday, September 27:

Guided Open Studio with Kay Powell
10:30am-2pm, Every Monday | Beginner to Intermediate
Fee: $17/per session. Please pay the instructor. No registration necessary.

Contemporary Gold Leaf 1 with Shannon Forester
1-4pm, Mondays, 5 Sessions, Sept.13-Oct.11
Beginners to Intermediate (includes some materials) | Fee: $170

Tuesday, September 28:

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
1-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Sept.14-Oct.19, | Open to all levels | Fee: $155

Bookmaking 1: Beginning Bookmaking with Anne Elser
1:30-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 sessions, Sept. 7-Oct. 12
Beginning-Intermediate | Fee: $155

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
6-8:30pm, see details above

Bookmaking 1: Beginning Bookmaking with Anne Elser
6:30-8pm, see details above

Wednesday, September 29:

Acrylic Painting, Impressionist-Style with J.Z.Torre
1-4pm, Wednesdays, 6 Sessions, Sept.15-Oct.20
For Advanced Beginners to Intermediate | Fee: $175

Silk Dye Painting Basics with Hellenne Vermillion
5:30-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 1-Oct. 6
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $170

Calligraphy One: Italic with Anne Elser
6-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 6 sessions, Sept. 8-Oct.13
Beginner-Intermediate | Fee: $155

Thursday, September 30:

Mixed Media and Collage Class with Kay Powell
9:30am-12pm, Thursdays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 30-Nov. 11 (no class Nov. 4)
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $135 | Sign up now!

Block Printing 1: Beginning Printmaking with Atlanta Printmakers Studio
1-4pm, Thursdays, 4 sessions, Sept. 9-30
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $135

Block Printing 1: Beginning Printmaking with Atlanta Printmakers Studio
6-8:30pm, see details above

Watercolor: Mixing, Color Theory & Application with Susan Bradford
6-8:30pm, Thursdays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 2-Oct. 7
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $155

Friday, October 1:

Time Travelers with Barbara Bailey
4-5:30pm, Fridays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 10-Oct. 15
For children in Grades 3-5 | materials included | Fee: $125

Saturday, October 2:

No special art events today.

Sunday, October 3:
No special art events today.

Please note: Classes on this schedule are in our Atlanta store unless otherwise indicated. For more information please email or call Eli Pelizza at 404.237.6331 ext. 203.

Check out the full list of our upcoming art classes and art workshops! Sign up for 5 classes, workshops or demos and receive 25% OFF THE SIXTH!

Visit BINDERS website!

The Subject of Art #12: The History of Colors, Chapter 3 - In Search of the Perfect Blue!

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Throughout the history of color-making, up until the Industrial Revolution, one of the most difficult colors to produce was blue, which is unfortunate as there are so many wonderful blues to be found in nature! In this chapter of The History of Colors, we'll take a look at the attempts that were made by chemists and artists through the ages to add this elusive color to their palettes.

Ultramarine Natural (Lapis Lazuli)
The standard by which all blues were judged in antiquity was a color known in the West as Ultramarine ("beyond the sea" in Latin, presumably because it came to Europe from Asia). The naturally-occurring form of Ultramarine is created by grinding up a semi-precious gemstone, Lapis Lazuli, which has an intense blue color with violet undertones. Unfortunately, since it is made from a gemstone this pigment is extremely rare and expensive.

The largest deposits were found in Afghanistan, mined and exported — both for use in Ultramarine pigments and jewelry — at great cost, so it was often difficult for the average artist to obtain enough of the color to do anything useful. The height of Ultramarine's popularity was during the 13th through the 15th centuries in Europe, when the color became the de facto standard for the bright blue mantle worn by the Virgin Mary in Christian art. Since most of the religious art of the time was commissioned directly by the Catholic Church, there was plenty of money available to make use of this rare and beautiful color. Subsequently, Ultramarine became a status symbol for Dutch merchants and capitalists who were eager to flaunt their success through the purchase of luxury items.

The client of a Dutch painter might often stipulate that a certain amount of Ultramarine be used in a commissioned painting and then provide the funds for purchasing the raw pigment, and the more of this expensive color used in the painting, the greater the prestige of the owner! Throughout history, and even today, the natural form of Ultramarine remains prohibitively expensive for most art applications and in modern times has been almost completely eclipsed by synthetic imitations.

Egyptian Blue
From the 3rd millennium BC onwards, the Egyptians had invented a blue pigment that can be considered the first synthetic pigment, since it is a material that doesn't occur in nature. A variety of chemical processes were required to convert a combination of copper, quartz sand and calcium carbonate into this color that was used extensively throughout ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Since the basic components were readily available, it was much more affordable than Ultramarine, but it is likely that the process of manufacturing the pigment was a carefully kept secret known only to certain color-makers.

Like a number of other technological break-throughs of the ancient world (such as concrete and brain surgery), the secret to creating Egyptian Blue was lost after the fall of the Roman Empire. Some attempts have been made to reconstruct the method by which the Egyptian chemists created it, but with only limited success. It would be nearly 1400 years later that synthetic colors would appear again and transform the concept of color and art entirely!

Azurite and Smalt
There were two other blue pigments available to artists before the Industrial Revolution, Azurite and Smalt, but both of these were not suitable for use on a wide scale for various reasons and were replaced on the artist's palette as soon as synthetic blues became available.

Azurite is a form of copper that has weathered naturally and shifted it's color to a deep, subtle blue. Azurite is rare, so the average artist could not be certain of obtaining it. Plus though it mixes well with the wax medium used in encaustic painting and the gum arabic medium used in watercolors, it has a tendency to turn greenish and grayish when mixed with egg tempera medium or linseed oil — by far the more popular types of paint in Europe.

Smalt is a naturally occurring form of cobalt glass which can be ground up and mixed into paint. The difficulty in finding and mining this mineral made it hard to find and, in it's paint form, the color is very weak and was therefore an unpopular choice.

Prussian Blue and Other Modern Synthetics
It was not until the year 1706 CE that the first industrially manufactured, synthetic pigment was produced, and it was no accident that it was a blue color! Chemists had been searching for centuries to find a stable, lightfast blue pigment but it was not until the beginnings of modern scientific methods that such a breakthrough became possible.

Prussian Blue was created in Berlin through chemical processing of the crystalline powder Potassium Ferrocyanide. Yes, there is cyanide in it, so never put your Prussian Blue on the stove and boil it because it will produce toxic cyanide gas. However, the paint in the tube is harmless so don't worry! Once the doorway to synthetic pigment creation was re-opened (remember that it was closed since the fall of Rome!), beautiful, durable blue colors became widely available for comparatively low cost.

The synthetic version of Ultramarine, in the course of one year, turned the most expensive color of all time into one of the most easily affordable ones! The explosion of bright colors in the paintings of the Impressionists can be directly linked to the discovery and propagation of synthetic pigments — which will be the subject of our next chapter.

Visit BINDERS website to see the wide array of blue colors that we carry!

This Week @ BINDERS - September 20-26

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0000

BINDERS HAPPENINGS

Just in time for the holidays! Sign up now for two upcoming workshops with our resident craft specialist, Anne Elser: Button Closure Oct. 9-10 and Collapsible Container Oct. 16-17. Both workshops will teach you how to create different types of decorative boxes by hand that make great gifts! Take advantage of BINDERS Back-to-School Sale mega-savings! From now until October 31 you can get all the basics for really low prices (Art Alternatives Canvases are 60-70% off MSRP!).

ART CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

Monday, September 20:

Guided Open Studio with Kay Powell
10:30am-2pm, Every Monday | Beginner to Intermediate
Fee: $17/per session. Please pay the instructor. No registration necessary.

Contemporary Gold Leaf 1 with Shannon Forester
1-4pm, Mondays, 5 Sessions, Sept.13-Oct.11
Beginners to Intermediate (includes some materials) | Fee: $170

Tuesday, September 21:

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
1-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Sept.14-Oct.19, | Open to all levels | Fee: $155

Bookmaking 1: Beginning Bookmaking with Anne Elser
1:30-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 sessions, Sept. 7-Oct. 12
Beginning-Intermediate | Fee: $155

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
6-8:30pm, see details above

Bookmaking 1: Beginning Bookmaking with Anne Elser
6:30-8pm, see details above

Wednesday, September 22:

Acrylic Painting, Impressionist-Style with J.Z.Torre
1-4pm, Wednesdays, 6 Sessions, Sept.15-Oct.20
For Advanced Beginners to Intermediate | Fee: $175

Silk Dye Painting Basics with Hellenne Vermillion
5:30-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 1-Oct. 6
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $170

Calligraphy One: Italic with Anne Elser
6-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 6 sessions, Sept. 8-Oct.13
Beginner-Intermediate | Fee: $155

Thursday, September 23:

Block Printing 1: Beginning Printmaking with Atlanta Printmakers Studio
1-4pm, Thursdays, 4 sessions, Sept. 9-30
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $135

Block Printing 1: Beginning Printmaking with Atlanta Printmakers Studio
6-8:30pm, see details above

Watercolor: Mixing, Color Theory & Application with Susan Bradford
6-8:30pm, Thursdays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 2-Oct. 7
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $155

Friday, September 24:

Time Travelers with Barbara Bailey
4-5:30pm, Fridays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 10-Oct. 15
For children in Grades 3-5 | materials included | Fee: $125

Saturday, September 25:

No special art events today.

Sunday, September 26:
No special art events today.

Please note: Classes on this schedule are in our Atlanta store unless otherwise indicated. For more information please email or call Eli Pelizza at 404.237.6331 ext. 203.

Check out the full list of our upcoming art classes and art workshops! Sign up for 5 classes, workshops or demos and receive 25% OFF THE SIXTH!

THE LIMELIGHT GALLERY
Well Pasted, Showing Sept. 1-Sept 24. Collage is a layering process involving a myriad of materials both found and manipulated.

Visit BINDERS website!

Tips & Tricks #12: Stick to it! (Part 2a) - Expoxy Moxie A.K.A Getting the Most of Out of Your Glue!

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Sometimes you need to stick some things together and a piece of tape just won’t do the job. Let’s face it, tape is convenient and quick, but it’s never going to be a really permanent solution and most of the time it looks really tacky (pun intended). When you’re ready to get serious about adhesives, there’s only one place to turn – glue! To put it in very basic terms, glue is a liquid, or semi-liquid, substance with adhesive properties (meaning it’s sticky), that dries to a hard, non-adhesive film, allowing two surfaces to be stuck together while the glue is wet, with the bond becoming permanent when it dries. The variety of glues available in our modern, industrial society is mind-boggling, not to mention all the different brand names and sub-varieties that are out there, so we’ll confine our discussion to a few of the ones you’ll most likely encounter as an artist.

Natural Glues
Fortunately for all the horses, cows, pigs and other hoofed animals, Hoof Glue, which was one of the most widely used glues all over the world for thousands of years, has largely fallen out of favor except for a few specialty applications in cabinetry and furniture-making. Thankfully you are unlikely to encounter it, or any of the other types of glue made from animal products, in Binders or any other art store and tales of the retired race-horse being shipped off to the glue factory are far less common than they used to be! However, some plant-based glues are still in use every day and may often find their way into art projects for specific reasons.

Among the most commonly used plant glues is Rubber Cement, which is made from latex, a naturally occurring, sap-like fluid that is obtained from many plant species, combined with a solvent to keep it in liquid form until it evaporates. Rubber Cement remains popular because it is so easy and safe to use that even children can enjoy it, plus it tends to be easily removable without damaging the surfaces that it was adhered to, so it can be very useful in experimental projects where the artist needs to be able to make changes easily. Rubber Cement is not recommended for long-term permanence, however, since the bond is relatively weak and things are likely to fall apart at some point.

The other type of plant glue that you might come across is Methyl Cellulose, which is created from the basic chemical building blocks of plant fibers. Methyl Cellulose typically comes as a white powder which, when mixed with the right proportion of water, forms a not-very-strong adhesive that works best on porous surfaces like paper. The great advantage of Methyl Cellulose is its archival qualities, which makes it very desirable for bookbinders and artists working with very delicate materials like Japanese papers.

Polyvinyl Acetate (PVA Glue)
We’re all familiar with the glues made from rubbery synthetic polymers, whether we know it or not! They name sounds fancy, but PVA is actually the main ingredient in some of the most commonly used glues today. In particular, Elmer’s Glue, an all-purpose glue for arts and crafts projects, and Carpenter’s Glue, for gluing pieces of wood together, are a staple in our lives. Elmer’s Glue, much like Rubber Cement, is very easy to use and the variety known as School Glue is safe and simple enough for young children to use. The results are more permanent though, so don’t expect to be pulling things apart without ruining them!

Elmer’s Glue will bond to just about anything, but is stronger with porous surfaces. Carpenter’s Glue is a stronger, slower drying version of Elmer’s Glue that claims to create a bond stronger than the wood itself! The slow drying time of the glue allows the adhesive to penetrate the fibers of the wood, creating a very permanent solution that is not easily broken. PVA Glue is also non-acidic in nature, so the more chemically pure versions of it, such as the ones made by Lineco or Gamblin, are suitable for archival applications and can make a more durable alternative to Methyl Cellulose. Mod Podge is another PVA brand that is better quality than the Elmer’s, but at a lower price point than the truly archival ones. All PVA Glues require some degree of porosity to the surfaces that are being glued together, so they work best on paper, wood, cloth, etc.

Thermoplastic Glue
The Glue Gun! Most of us are familiar with it and have probably used a Glue Gun at least once. The idea is simple, when thermoplastic is heated it turns to a semi-liquid form with adhesive qualities which maintain a bond once the glue cools down and dries. The glue is neither strong, nor archival, but it is very easy to use (just don’t burn yourself!) and it sticks to just about anything! If you want to add pieces of metal, plastic or ceramic into your creations, a glue gun is the simple way to go!

Polyurethane Adhesive
In its bright orange display, the Gorilla Glue is hard to miss on BINDERS’ adhesive aisle! Gorilla Glue is another type of synthetic polymer glue, but utilizing polyurethane rather than polyvinyl. This stuff is really strong and, although is works best on smooth, non-porous surfaces, it will stick to just about anything! Gorilla Glue is vastly more permanent than thermoplastic, but requires more skill and patience to use.

Like Carpenter’s glue, Gorilla Glue requires as long as 24 hours to dry and the use of clamps is recommended to ensure a tight bond is achieved. The other, more tricky fact is that the glue expands as it dries, often resulting in the glue bubbling out from between the two surfaces. Gorilla Glue comes in a transparent variety, which is more visually appealing, but it can still ruin the appearance of the final product if not handled correctly. Experience is the only way to get a handle on it – try doing tests on scraps to get a feel for how much to put on before you add it to your artwork! Unless you are doing heavy sculpture work, this is the toughest glue you will be likely to need.

Stay tuned for part 2B of Epoxy Moxie, in which we’ll take a look at Spray Adhesives, Glue Sticks and, of course, Epoxy!

This Week @ BINDERS - September 13-19

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 22:00:00 +0000

BINDERS HAPPENINGS

The ART School at BINDERS has a great fall lineup! Unlock your imagination with experimental techniques to revitalize your work in Kay Powell's Mixed Media and Collage Class, starting Sept. 30. Sign up early to get a discounted price! Beginning Printmaking starts October 10th with both afternoon and evening sessions, Bookmaking 2, Copperplate and Advanced Calligraphy Classes with Anne Elser begin on October 26th/27th, Silk Dye Painting Basics with Hellene Vermillion starts on October 13th, and Watercolor – Loose and Strong with Judy Greenberg begins on October 21st. Sale prices are available for a limited time only, so reserve your space today!

Shop our annual sale on all the basics you need for fine art and graphic design classes at all of Atlanta's premier art schools — or if you just want to stock up! Whether you are a student just starting out or a seasoned pro artist, there's plenty of great deals to take advantage of in the store with many commonly used items being anywhere from 20-60% off MSRP!

ART CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

Monday, September 13:

Guided Open Studio with Kay Powell
10:30am-2pm, Every Monday | Beginner to Intermediate
Fee: $17/per session. Please pay the instructor. No registration necessary.

Contemporary Gold Leaf 1 with Shannon Forester
1-4pm, Mondays, 5 Sessions, Sept.13-Oct.11
Beginners to Intermediate (includes some materials) | Fee: $170

Tuesday, September 14:

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
1-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 Sessions, Sept.14-Oct.19, | Open to all levels | Fee: $155

Bookmaking 1: Beginning Bookmaking with Anne Elser
1:30-4pm, Tuesdays, 6 sessions, Sept. 7-Oct. 12
Beginning-Intermediate | Fee: $155

Painting-Design and Technique with Charles Y. Walls
6-8:30pm, see details above

Bookmaking 1: Beginning Bookmaking with Anne Elser
6:30-8pm, see details above

Wednesday, September 15:

Acrylic Painting, Impressionist-Style with J.Z.Torre
1-4pm, Wednesdays, 6 Sessions, Sept.15-Oct.20
For Advanced Beginners to Intermediate | Fee: $175
Last chance to sign up!

Silk Dye Painting Basics with Hellenne Vermillion
5:30-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 1-Oct. 6
Beginner to Intermediate | Fee: $170

Calligraphy One: Italic with Anne Elser
6-8:30pm, Wednesdays, 6 sessions, Sept. 8-Oct.13
Beginner-Intermediate | Fee: $155

Thursday, September 16:

Friday, September 17:

Time Travelers with Barbara Bailey
4-5:30pm, Fridays, 6 Sessions, Sept. 10-Oct. 15
For children in Grades 3-5 | materials included | Fee: $125

Saturday, September 18:

Adult Acrylics Workshop with Barry Sholder
11-4pm, Sat. & Sun., Sept. 18-19 | Beginner | Fee: $155
Last chance to sign up!

Sunday, September 19:

Adult Acrylics Workshop with Barry Sholder
12-5pm, Sat. 11-4pm, Sat. & Sun., Sept. 18-19 | Beginner | Fee: $155
Last chance to sign up!

Please note: Classes on this schedule are in our Atlanta store unless otherwise indicated. For more information please email or call Eli Pelizza at 404.237.6331 ext. 203.

Check out the full list of our upcoming art classes and art workshops! Sign up for 5 classes, workshops or demos and receive 25% OFF THE SIXTH!

THE LIMELIGHT GALLERY
Well Pasted, Showing Sept. 1-Sept 24. Collage is a layering process involving a myriad of materials both found and manipulated.

Visit BINDERS website!

The Subject of Art #11: The History of Colors, Chapter 2 - The Toxic and The Fugitive!

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:13:00 +0000

In Chapter 1 of this series, we looked at the Earth Pigments, which were readily available in the ground and needed only to be dug up, sifted for purity and mixed with the binder to create a variety of reds, yellows, and browns.

However, these hardly represented the full range of colors found in nature and it became an obsession for artists, and the chemists who supplied them with new paint colors, to develop new pigments that had greater intensity and could cover the varieties of blues, greens and violets that were completely missing in the Earth Pigment range. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these pigments proved to be failures over the long term because they were either terribly toxic, resulting in a variety of neurological disorders or possibly even death to many artists over the centuries from over-exposure, or they were fugitive, which is a term that is used to denote a pigment whose color fades over time when exposed to light. It was not until the mid to late 19th century, with the advent of industrial manufacturing processes, that stable, reasonably safe pigments were developed to replace the more dangerous ones.

Let's take a look at a few of the most popular ones that had been used over time and see what they were eventually replaced with in the palette of colors that we have today!

Toxic Pigments
Of all the most toxic pigments that were used in the history of painting, the most popular was definitely lead. Although we are most familiar with lead as a dark, almost black color that was used in pencils, through various chemical processes lead could be altered to create very bright, intense hues of white, yellow and red.

Up into the 19th century these were known by the names Flake White (also the Cremnitz White which is still made by Old Holland), Chrome Yellow and Chrome Red. Lead is, extremely poisonous and can be absorbed both by ingestion and through the skin, but in it's day it was both cheap and extremely durable, so it was often the choice not only for artists but for house painting and other large scale, outdoor applications. Although true Chrome Yellows and Reds have disappeared entirely, Flake Whites can still be found on occasion and it is still considered by some artists to be far superior to the pigment that replaced it, Titanium White. Chrome Yellow and Chrome Red have been replaced by Cadmium Yellow and Cadmium Red respectively, which are still toxic pigments but far, far less so than their lead-based predecessors.

Unfortunately, we find that lead paint is still used indiscriminately in some parts of the world with no thought to public safety. In 2009 a scandal broke in which a variety of toys manufactured in China for sale in the United States were found to be coated in lead-based paints, resulting in a massive recall to prevent children from becoming sick.

Among the other very popular pigments that turned out to be deadly are Vermilion, a very bright red-orange pigment originally derived from the mineral cinnabar, but which was synthetically produced by alchemists in Europe as early as the 12th century. An important component of Vermilion is mercury, a highly toxic chemical that can be absorbed through the skin and should be avoided at all costs. In the contemporary palette, Vermilion has been replaced by Cadmium Red Light. Another pigment that was both well-used and dangerous was Emerald Green, popularly known as Paris Green in the 19th century, which was made from copper acetoarsenite, a variety of arsenic that was also used as rat poison! The symptoms of arsenic poisoning have led some researchers to conclude that the blindness that Claude Monet experienced towards the end of his life and the neurological disorder that resulted in seizures for Vincent Van Gogh may have been caused by arsenic exposure from the Paris Green they were using in their paintings! Fortunately for us, Emerald Green has been replaced by the infinitely safer pigments Viridian and Phthalo Green.

Fugitive Pigments
Fugitive pigments were far more common than the toxic ones, but for most of them there is little evidence remaining except for written accounts of their use, since they have all disappeared over the years. The civilizations of Ancient Greece and Egypt were colorful places, but little remains now besides the bare stone faces that have been denuded of their fragile paint layers. The only remains that we have are in places that were found to be airtight and dark: the tombs in Egypt and some of the rooms of houses in Pompeii and Herculaneum that were buried in the eruption of Vesuvius.

From those testaments we can see that there were a great variety of colors that were used by ancient artists and that most of them were fugitive and disappeared quickly in the light. Fugitive pigments are typically those that are produced from plant and animal sources and so they lack the durability of their mineral counterparts. Carmine, for example, is a crimson red color that was manufactured by boiling thousands of cochineals, a type of scale insect, and it was the primary source of crimson for both paint and dyes for hundreds of years until it was replaced by the modern colors Alizarin Crimson and Naphthol Crimson, both of which are still moderately fugitive, but much less so than the original.

Likewise Tyrian Purple, which was the royal color of the Roman Emperors, was produced by rendering down a particular species of sea snail, requiring hundreds of them to be caught and processed and resulting in a pigment that faded rapidly, but no other source for violet was readily available until industrial manufacturing produced Manganese and Cobalt Violets and in the 20th century Dioxazine Purple became the standard.

Other popular colors that have not stood the test of time include Sap Green, originally made from the juice of buckthorn berries, which has now been replaced by a mixture of modern pigments. Indian Yellow, a bright yellow-orange, was originally produced by force-feeding cattle with mango leaves and then collecting their urine, which, when dried, resulted in intensely colored crystals that could be mixed into paint. Indigo, the color used to dye blue jeans today, is actually one of the oldest dye colors, having originated in India where the indigo plant is native and quickly spreading to Ancient Mesopotamia, Babylon, Greece and Rome. The synthetic replacement for the natural and fugitive Indigo was developed around 1865, after which use of the plant dye disappeared rapidly.

Through this survey of the failed pigments of previous eras, we can see how art and technology have advanced together, bringing us the paints we use today that are both safe and long-lasting. Enjoy!

Are there topics on the subject of art that you'd like for us to cover? Comment and let us know!

Tips & Tricks #11: Stick to it!!! (Part I) The Strong and Weak Points of Tape!

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:00:00 +0000

There are lots of things that we use as artists that may seem humble on the outside, but in reality they can be vital to the successful outcome of the work of art. A great example of this is that most overlooked item in the creative arsenal — tape!

We've all used tape plenty of times, I'm sure, since it's a handy tool to stick one thing to another, but beneath the surface of this seemingly simple item there are many things that you need to know in order to get the most out of it. Lets take a look at some of the different kinds of tape and how you might use them in the context of making artwork.

Thinking about using basic, everyday standard scotch tape for your artistic endeavors? STOP! We all love it because it's the only one we were allowed to have in kindergarten, but in reality this is the most destructive kind of tape you can buy for artistic use. The adhesive used in this kind of tape is very strong and very permanent, so once you've applied it to a surface and let it sit for even just a few minutes you are unlikely to get it off without wrecking something. Paper will rip, paint will be pulled off and the tape will likely leave some kind of nasty residue behind that you'll need an adhesive remover to get rid of. Of course if you're looking for a very strong bond then this may be the way to go, and a particularly useful variety of scotch tape is the double-sided kind that makes it so that you don't have to roll the tape up into one of those funny rings...

Slightly better than scotch tape, but just barely, is the venerable masking tape. Masking tape has a considerably weaker adhesive and you can, in theory, trust it to be removable for about 24 hours with no problems — but we wouldn't bet on it. Adhesive residue is a common problem with masking tape and the chemicals used in the glue make it almost certain that it will stain any surface that it sits on for too long. Once it does set, masking tape is just as devilishly hard to remove as scotch tape, so keep an eye on the clock. The good news about masking tape is that it's cheap, so it makes a good choice for taping sheets of newsprint to a drawing board for quick sketches and any other application where care and quality are not an issue.

A step up from masking tape is the ubiquitous blue painter's tape (yes the same one you use to mask off the trim when you're painting a wall in your house)! This type of tape is similar in chemical properties to masking tape, however it takes much longer for the adhesive to set and become permanent. There are actually different varieties of this tape that are rated at different time intervals. Typically there is a less expensive type that becomes permanent after two weeks and a more expensive type that is good for about 60 days, again in theory. This is the lowest level of tape that you might consider using to mask off portions of a painting or use as a guide to create straight lines, but since it was designed to go over latex house paint, the glue is still pretty strong, so it's not recommended for anything that has a delicate surface.

At this point it's worth briefly mentioning drafting tape. Drafting tape is a special type that uses a rubber cement-like adhesive. The primary purpose of it is to stick the various types of vellum and drafting films used by architect's, etc., to a drafting table and then be removed without harming the delicate surface of those papers.

The standard variety of tape used in art projects is the white artist tape. This is really the good stuff, because you can leave it on the surface for as long as 6 months in most cases without experiencing any residue. It removes easily and cleanly, and the glue is acid-free, so there should never be any discoloration of the surface underneath. For just about any fine art purpose, this tape will do the trick and do it cleanly and easily, so it is well worth the added expense. It's actually pretty amazing to see how the adhesive in artist tape is coherent enough to allow you to mask off an area with a perfectly clean line, and yet when you pull on it it just comes right off! That said, this is definitely NOT a permanent tape by any means and you may find that it comes off too easily (and perhaps at just the wrong moment...), but then again, you can't have everything!

There are still some surfaces that even the glue in artist tape is too strong for, such as a gouache painting. In such cases, the knight in shining armor is the Scotch 811 variety of tape. Unlike it's brutish and destructive cousin that we've discussed earlier, Scotch 811 tape has a very low strength adhesive and is really the only option for masking off areas of a gouache painting or for use on soft printmaking or watercolor papers. Don't count on this tape holding anything together for more than a few seconds, but if you need to do some masking on a delicate surface and you take some care to get a clean line, 811 tape can be a real life-saver!

That concludes our tour of the different species of tapes for fine art use. Remember, the more sophisticated your art is, the more sophisticated your tools need to be, and tape is no exception!

The Subject of Art #10: The Other Michaelangelo - The Genius of Caravaggio!

noreply@blogger.com (Cobi) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Most of us are familiar with the works of the famed and revered Renaissance master sculptor and painter, Michelangelo di Buonarotti, and even the folks with no knowledge of art history at all will have heard of and perhaps seen photos of his most famous work—the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. However, there is another Michelangelo, born into the next generation of Italians, who is much less well known, even though his influence would change the style and technique of much of European painting.

This mysterious character was named Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, typically known simply by his surname, Caravaggio, which also happened to be the name of the town in which he was born during the latter part of the 16th century. While the Michelangelo of Renaissance fame was a true giant in the art world whose uniqueness and genius could never be duplicated, Caravaggio developed ideas about painting that resonated with many of the artists of his day. His ideas inspired many to copy his techniques and spread his new style, which only continued to gain momentum through the centuries until the present day, where his influence can still be felt and seen in the work of contemporary realist artists.

Born in 1571 and being raised in the small town Caravaggio in the Lombardy region of Italy, Caravaggio lost both of his parents by the time he was thirteen. Fortunately, he had already demonstrated a talent for drawing and was taken in as an apprentice by a Milanese painter who had himself studied under Titian. From a young age he displayed a shockingly uncouth character that, from the point of view of our modern sensibilities, would seem to belie the evidence of deep sensitivity he displayed in his work. He was particularly prone to fighting and seems to have engaged in street brawls on a regular basis.

During one such incident in 1592, he appears to have wounded a police officer and was forced to flee from Milan, eventually ending up in Rome. In desperate straits, Caravaggio took a job as a painter of flowers and fruit for factory-like workshop that churned out cheap paintings for the masses (perhaps like the 17th century equivalent of Thomas Kincaid?), which must have been a difficult time for someone with Caravaggio's genius and tempestuous personality! Nevertheless, it was during that time that he seems to have developed most of his major stylistic innovations and became prepared to strike out on his own as a working artist. He had become acquainted with several people who were able to help him become known in the vibrant art world of Rome and in 1594 he painted what is considered to be his first masterpiece, The Cardsharps, that immediately gained him renown among the critics and collectors. A flurry of brilliantly executed private commissions finally brought him to the attention of the Catholic Church, from which he gained the larger public commissions that cemented his reputation as a master to his contemporaries and to us as well.

Caravaggio's innovations in painting were threefold. The most obvious one is his intensified use of chiaroscuro—the transition from light to dark in a painting, which he brought to never before seen extremes. His paintings are dominated by the inky blackness of the background that give way suddenly and sharply to the brightest, most intense lightness of the foreground figures. Far from having a jarring effect on the senses, Caravaggio's technique was so highly refined that he could pull off these high contrasts in a way that seemed pleasing to the eye and had the effect of drawing one further into the complex psychological dramas that were depicted. The technique was so influential that it was given a name - tenebrism - and became a standard for many artists up into the present times.

Caravaggio was also known for eschewing the use of preparatory drawings, preferring instead to work out his compositions directly on the canvas and directly from the live models. Such practices were considered barbaric by the academic establishment at that time, but such criticisms had little effect on the headstrong painter and the immediacy of the technique was something that would be applauded by generations of future artists who came to value the spontaneity of the moment afforded by painting directly in that manner.

Lastly, and perhaps most controversially, Caravaggio was a deeply committed realist as was evident from the meticulous detail he put into all of his works. The stark realism of his style was greatly at odds with the mainstream of art at that time which preferred a classical idealism and was offended by Caravaggio's "warts and all" images, even of stories from the Bible. His realistic depictions of his subjects led to more than a few scandals that resulted in rejection of his work by the buyer, particularly in the case of the Church when in his paintings of the Madonna the features of known local courtesans could be recognized! But again, he persevered in spite of the criticism and rejection and that spirit of realism that he sparked would become a revolution in the 19th century, changing everything we know about art and opening the doors to Modernism.

Unfortunately, Caravaggio's tumultuous personal life continued to cause him great trouble. He was forced to leave Rome in 1606 after killing a man in a fight and fled to Naples and from there to the island of Malta where he was knighted. All along the way he kept on producing incredibly vibrant works and building up his reputation. But again, in 1608 he was arrested and imprisoned for brawling and was expelled from the Knights of Malta "as a foul and rotten member." Upon his release he moved to Sicily where he had friends and thrived again on his brilliant work. But he also made more than a few enemies, eventually driving him out of Sicily. Finally he hoped to return to Rome in 1610 to receive a pardon for his earlier crime from the reigning Pope who seemed to look upon him with favor. He never got that chance, however, as he passed away from a fever en route from Naples at the young age of 39.

After his death, some of the people who had been his rivals and detractors in life sought to discredit him and were largely successful. His name was, for hundreds of years, largely forgotten, even though the artists that he inspired carried on his ideas, giving birth to the great works of artists such as Rubens, Velazquez, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Courbet and Manet, just to name a few. It was not until the 1920's that art historians finally restored Caravaggio to his rightful place as a true master of Western art, bringing back some vestiges of honor to a man whose life had been ruled by so much chaos.

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