Technique

My painting follows the techniques of the Italian and Dutch old masters. I paint small pictures on board or canvas. The board is prepared with eight layers of gesso made in the traditional way. I also make the oil paints myself by grinding the pigments and mixing them with the appropriate oils and egg tempera.

Portraits start with an underpainting in earth colours, gradually building up the tones, then introducing the colour by painting and adding different glazes.

  • Hand-prepared gesso board
    Gesso board
  • Azurite pigment in a jar
    Azurite
  • Ochre pigment
    Ochre
  • Pigment before grinding
    Before grinding
  • Grinding pigment by hand
    Grinding
  • Finished pigment
    Finished pigment
  • Filling a tube of paint
    Filling a tube
  • Hand-filled paint tubes
    Hand-made tubes
  • Assorted pigment jars
    Pigment jars
  • Studio bottles
    Oils
  • Underpainting stage
    Underpainting
  • Over-painting stage
    Overpainting