Studio Practice

There are paintings and there are paintings. In structure and intention and purpose religious painting is quite different from much other art and in the making of each piece I endeavour to bear in mind the place for an artist in their production:

“A window is only a window, and the board of an icon is merely wood, paint, and finish. But through the window I behold the Mother of God, a vision of the Most Pure. Yes, icon painter, you have shown Her to me, but you did not create Her; rather, you have parted the veil so that She, who was behind it, now stands as a real experience not only for me but also for you; and She appears to you and is found by you, but She is never invented by you even in the strongest currents of your highest inspiration.”

From ‘Iconostasis’ by Pavel Florensky (quoting St Joseph of Volotsk) St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, New York 2000

Materials

The paintings produced here in this studio have been made with great care and consideration for the materials used. Before painting can begin however, it is essential to ensure the support and ground is prepared with equal care.

Wooden panels have been the traditional support for painting in Europe for hundreds of years. For stability and longevity seasoned oak and poplar are regularly chosen.

These panel paintings use 1 inch thick poplar as a base which is then cut to shape, sanded, and sealed with a size preparation of rabbit skin glue. To counteract the tendency for the glue size to shrink and warp the panel as it dries panels of medium to larger dimensions are also sized on the reverse. A layer of fine artist’s linen canvas is then applied to the face of the panel, which is then sized again, trimmed, and resized along the canvas edges. A painting ground of whiting and glue size is then prepared and is applied in up to 15 layers. Once dry the panel is sanded again before a ‘lean, resin-rich’ thinned coat of titanium white ground or ‘underpainting’ is applied using the softest of rabbit hair blenders. This reduces porosity of the surface while allowing the paint sufficient grip. When thoroughly dry the panel is ready.

For some paintings stretched canvas has been used instead of a wooden panel. Stretched canvas allows paintings to be of any size while avoiding the problem with large panels that they need to be made a composite of separate pieces joined together. It also lends itself to working on more unusual shapes.

Crucial to the concept of this practice is to maintain a direct and intimate relationship with a lineage of historical precedent. This connection with Christian Tradition is primary and is the verification that these new works do indeed embody, convey and disseminate the Faith.¹ This is the primary consideration to which artistry of execution strives. (For more details see ‘About the Work’.)

Each painting therefore begins with a search for an image that will speak to us today and clearly convey its intrinsic spiritual essence. The image is then enlarged or reduced to an appropriate panel size and using an interleaf of thin paper intensely dusted with an artist’s dry pastel of an earth colour the design is traced through to the prepared panel. The pastel linework is fixed with spray resin varnish.

Paints

The paints used are good quality artist’s oil colours. However, the oil content of paints today is generally too high for this kind of work and so the pre-prepared paints are mixed with a combination of Strasbourg Turpentine (or Venice Turpentine), Thickened Linseed Oil, and Genuine Turpentine. Different proportions are used according to the work in hand.

While this painting medium is ideal for panel painting many artists such as Titian, Tintoretto and Velazquez, as well as many other 16th century artists chose to use a resin-oil paint mix while working on stretched canvasses; especially for layers subsequent to the first laying out of the image.

Some writers have been concerned that mixes of resin and oil paint when used on a flexible surface such as a stretched canvas may have a tendency to crack. However, the real danger of paint cracking comes not from the mix itself but from the paint being applied too thickly. Before the mid 19th century thicker impasto paint was only sparingly used, usually for highlights or to provide touches of emphasis. If the paint layer is kept thin the resin-oil paint is no more likely to crack than straight oil paint.

Method

The painting method used involves working with multiple thin layers of paint in a variety of qualities of opaque, semi-transparent and transparent. Brushwork may be dry and lively or at times applied with great care and precision. Different layers dry at different rates, so to be sure the paint surface is dry as the stages of work progress each painting can take many weeks to complete. Studio work therefore necessitates working on a few paintings at once – true workshop practice.

The resin oil process works very well for translucency and richness of depth but is less good for sharp opaque highlights. As part of the process therefore highlights can be created by introducing touches of tempera to the painting which are then subsequently glazed over. As light passes through the transparent glaze layer the opacity of the tempera reflects back a bright clear colour.

The colours chosen for a painting take as a first consideration the colour of the source image. As work begins the visual practice of looking, comparing and considering comes into play and each piece takes on a life of its own. These are not historicist pastiches but look to regain the real joyful Spirit of God contained in the original and experienced by its audience when new. During painting therefore straightforward imitation gives way to transcription and interpretation until the historic iconic original is provided a visage that is fresh and new for its place in our world today. Some change a little; some radically. Art enters the process and the value of the finished piece is finally, as with all art, a matter of whether it speaks to the viewer.

Religious art before the Western Renaissance, and more recently in the Eastern Christian tradition, typically include the names of figures depicted written within the space of the painting itself. There may also be some comment on an event taking place in the picture.

The works shown here also name the key figures and, given that they are created today, in a context of Modern English, names have been written in English. Abbreviations typical of the Eastern Christian Tradition however, are retained in the original Greek since, over centuries of use they have taken on the quality of signifiers linking the viewer directly to the originatory source much as the images themselves have.

According to the needs of different paintings the halos of figures are either finished with dry ground ‘gold’ mixed in a resin-oil medium or gold leaf. According to the feel of the work some halos are painted in a colour appropriate to the overall colour scheme.

The paintings are kept for some months to allow them to dry before being finished with a simple light (removable) matt retouching varnish. This provides some reasonable degree of protection and also a gentle sheen to the paint surface.

Finally, each painting has the name and origin of its source noted on the reverse, stating:

This last comment refers to the fact that, though the paintings are for sale, following their purchase I make no further claim on the life of the work. I claim the right to be recompensed for its making, but the image lies with the source and so is not mine to claim.

These works are in their essence identical with their historical originals; made new, and offered to our world today in service of the Faith. I look forward to each one finding a good home.