Egg Tempera
Having worked primarily in the printing processes of etching, lithography, drypoint, and monoprint and in the drawing media of charcoal, ink, pastel, and oil pastel, I have found Egg Tempera to be a media sensitive to my love of drawing, my need for quiet reflection and meditation, my love of fine detail, and my fascination with the traditions of early renaissance realism and spirituality exemplified in the works of such artists as Botticelli, Giotto, Lippi, Rubelov, and others from the traditions of Italian Spiritual Art and Russian Iconography. Egg tempera is endlessly fascinating to me as a media – from the fine hand grinding of pigments to the gentle washing of the fragile fresh egg yolk, to the incredibly precise mixing of colors and values, to the delicate layering of strokes which slowly and meticulously build up the painting with luminosity and form. I feel a sense of stillness in motion and timelessness as the painting develops and fills with spirit.
I draw upon both the traditions of Italian spiritual art and portraiture and Russian Iconography relative to technique and imagery working with traditional Icon writing and with the added element of personal romanticism, fantasy, and symbolism.
