We asked our Gallery Underground artist how or if perseverance played into their art making. Here is our iconographer Laura Clerici's response.
"As for perseverance..... One of the icons I hope to bring to Gallery Underground is one that was at the National Gallery of Art* it's called the Ustug Annunciation. (ed. note: Laura's work was recently featured at the Museum shop for exhibit Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections ). I've wanted to work on this image ever since I started painting icons in 1999.
Although it looks like a simple image, I knew it was not and that I would have to acquire a lot of skill before I undertook it. Then, about a year ago, we studied it in one of my workshops.
The green of Gabriel's robe is malachite, and I used it, because I know that Gabriel is usually shown with a blue or green outer robe. I've seen the original 12th C icon (it's HUGE -- six feet tall), and unlike the photographs you see in books, you can see that there was once was additional color, which seems to have worn off over time."
Laura does her work in the traditional manner working with pigments taken from the earth. Here is a bit more about the intimidating Malachite.
Origin and History: Malachite is found in many parts of the world in the upper oxidized zones of copper ore deposits.Malachite was first used in Egypt and China. In fact, Egyptians probably used the pigment as eye paint even before the first Egyptian dynasty. In Western China, malachite is found in many paintings from the ninth and tenth centuries. Europeans did not use malachite very much in medieval times, but it was very popular during the Renaissance. However, it had been replaced by synthetic green pigments by about 1800.
Making the Pigment: The natural mineral is crushed, ground to a chalk-like powder, then washed and levigated--swirled in water to separate the finer particles.
Artistic Notes: To be useful as a bright green it must be ground coarse, as finely ground renders it too pale. It is moderately permanent and unaffected by strong light. When used as a paint, malachite's shade also changes with the medium used. As a watercolor, it is a pale green, but it becomes darker in oil. It works better in egg tempera than in oil. (Laura works in egg tempera).
Although it looks like a simple image, I knew it was not and that I would have to acquire a lot of skill before I undertook it. Then, about a year ago, we studied it in one of my workshops.
The green of Gabriel's robe is malachite, and I used it, because I know that Gabriel is usually shown with a blue or green outer robe. I've seen the original 12th C icon (it's HUGE -- six feet tall), and unlike the photographs you see in books, you can see that there was once was additional color, which seems to have worn off over time."
Laura does her work in the traditional manner working with pigments taken from the earth. Here is a bit more about the intimidating Malachite.
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| Rough Malachite |
Origin and History: Malachite is found in many parts of the world in the upper oxidized zones of copper ore deposits.Malachite was first used in Egypt and China. In fact, Egyptians probably used the pigment as eye paint even before the first Egyptian dynasty. In Western China, malachite is found in many paintings from the ninth and tenth centuries. Europeans did not use malachite very much in medieval times, but it was very popular during the Renaissance. However, it had been replaced by synthetic green pigments by about 1800.
Making the Pigment: The natural mineral is crushed, ground to a chalk-like powder, then washed and levigated--swirled in water to separate the finer particles.
Artistic Notes: To be useful as a bright green it must be ground coarse, as finely ground renders it too pale. It is moderately permanent and unaffected by strong light. When used as a paint, malachite's shade also changes with the medium used. As a watercolor, it is a pale green, but it becomes darker in oil. It works better in egg tempera than in oil. (Laura works in egg tempera).
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