Page 17 - George O'Hanlon
George O’Hanlon is the technical director of Natural Pigments, and executive director of Iconofile, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting understanding of sacred art. George received his fine arts education and apprenticeship in Mexico. Upon return to the United States, he worked as creative director for advertising agencies in Silicon Valley, working on such major accounts as Sony, Hewlett-Packard, and Ricoh. He founded an agency later acquired by the chemical giant, Shin-Etsu. There he served as vice-president of U.S. marketing. In 1992, he studied traditional art techniques abroad. Then in 2001, co-founded Iconofile and in 2003 Natural Pigments to promote an understanding of these practices. Since that time he has formulated hundreds of artists’ paints and materials, including Ceracolors, a waterborne wax paint.
- June 10, 2013 6481
What are the differences between linseed oil and stand oil? How do these differences affect the properties of paint? The key differences result from two crucial physical properties of drying oils: the degree of polymerization and the acid value of the oil. These two properties are affected by the treatment of oil—typically heat—that changes one or both of them. Heat treatment of oil makes what is called “bodied” oil, which is the more accurate term for what many call “stand oil.”...
- June 10, 2013 2643
Beginning with this installment, this series of articles discusses the technique of making icons in abundant detail, from obtaining the wood for the painting panel to putting on the final picture varnish or olifa of icons. A guide to wood properties and selecting the optimal wood for painting panels. This is the first in a series of articles on painting icons, beginning with selecting the panel, preparing it for painting, and the painting technique. Although this series of articles applies specifically to the preparation and painting of icons, it has a wider application for preparing solid wood panels for painting...
- June 10, 2013 395
Paint pigments are much more complex today than in past history. They are mixed with other materials or coated to give visual shifts or other active color effects. To gain an appreciation of color theory and the problems of color matching, it is essential to consider the physics of sight in some detail. Before continuing, though, some background knowledge is required...
- June 09, 2013 2250
Part one on preparing wood panels for painting with the application of chalk grounds and fifth in our technical series on painting icons, this article discusses the history and materials used in the preparation of wood panels for tempera painting—size, pavoloka, and gesso — since the earliest period of Christian art until today. While the series specifically applies to making icon boards and preparing them for painting egg tempera icons, it has application to preparing wood panels for painting in any medium on chalk grounds...
- June 09, 2013 805
Part two on preparing a wood panel for painting with the application of chalk grounds and the sixth in our technical series on painting icons, this article discusses preparing the glue solution used in the preparation of wood panels for tempera painting—size, pavoloka, and gesso—since the earliest Christian period until today. While the series specifically apply to making icon boards and preparing them for painting egg tempera icons, it has application to preparing wood panels for painting in any medium on chalk grounds...
- June 09, 2013 1141
The technique followed by painters in medieval Western Europe to prepare and paint tempera panels and that used by painters in Russia of the same period are closely allied. However, there are some differences in the process, from the preparation of the panel to the final varnish. These differences are interesting to note and can provide some insight into the technique and process used by the earliest Byzantine artists to make panel paintings...
- June 09, 2013 1282
In the previous article of this series, we introduced the idea of collecting your pigments in the article, Pigments from the Earth. In this article, the second in the series, we will discuss the processes involved in preparing the samples of soil you have gathered—grinding, sifting, washing, drying, mulling, and storing the pigment...
- June 09, 2013 1759
Third, in our technical series on painting icons, this article discusses the different types of braces found in Russian icons since the 12th century and their use in icon panels from the past to today. This series of articles applies specifically to preparing and painting icon panels but has a broader application to preparing wood panels for painting...
- June 09, 2013 6820
Not all tempera painters strictly use egg yolk as the binder for their paint. Some of the most popular recipes are egg, casein, and gum tempera, shared by Russian and Ukrainian painters. What follows are formulas and instructions on making and using tempera and emulsion paints...
- June 09, 2013 3000
Gold fascinated medieval society. The medieval love of gold is exemplified during the Byzantine period by resplendent domes, mosaics, icons, and architecture. Illuminated manuscripts echoed these achievements in miniature. Gold became an intrinsic element of the illuminated page...
