Simon's Art Journal

'Egg Tempera Painting Workshops' in October at Berrycroft Hub, Ashbury, Wilts UK

9/11/2021

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'Rhiannon' The template for the two, one day 'Egg Tempera Painting' workshops.

'Rhiannon' is painted on gesso board in egg tempera. The size of the board is (A4) 21 x 29.7cm.

Above a series of six photos, divided in four showing the painting process in stages. The painting is on gesso board, the portrait of 'Rhiannon' is traced onto the board by placing a pigment paper under the trace overlay, redrawn to transfer the image onto the surface of the gesso. Then the paint process can begin. To find out how it's all done, why not book a place at the workshops on the links below....

https://www.berrycrofthub.com/store/p247/Egg_Tempera_Painting__-_Saturday_16th_October_2021___10am_-_4pm.html

https://www.berrycrofthub.com/store/p243/Egg_Tempera_Painting__-__Sunday_17th_October_2021__10am_-_4pm.html

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'Rhiannon' Egg Tempera Painting Workshop, mid October 2021

8/18/2021

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As time goes forward I will be posting photos of the progressing painting stages of for my up and coming 'Egg Tempera Painting Workshops' at https://www.facebook.com/BerrycroftHub in mid October. 'Rhiannon', is Welsh, meaning 'Great Queen' or 'Goddess'. The following photos show the inspiration for the 'portrait' and beginnings from the pencil drawing onwards.

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The Next Step

7/26/2019

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'THE NEXT STEP'
Due to the nature of Britain's political turmoil at present over BREXIT it's an apt title, the painting was named by a friend at another show when I presented it to show my friends the finished painting, who had witnessed the beginning stages.

The soldier depicted here is a Romano-British Auxiliary from the 5th Century AD, this was the period in Britain's history when the Roman Legions and Administration had returned back to the European continent after the Imperial edict was passed by Horonius for Britain to 'Look to their defences', sound familiar?

This is the first oil painting I have worked on for over a decade!!!!
Started as part of my Living History display at Delapre Abbey in Northampton, UK in early July. Like my egg tempera work I also made the paints from scratch, using just Linseed oil and pigment. However, this time, as a challenge I only used 5 colours: Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine, Lamp Black and Zinc White.

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'Artorius Triumphant' or trampled underfoot!

1/22/2019

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My first post of 2019!
This painting was an experiment for egg tempera on fake parchment paper, which is why you can see the colour and texture surrounding the painting.
Inspired by the same event at Old Sarum in 2014 for 'Distant Spring Rain'
in the Equestrian section.
I'm also working out a style to use for the 'Mons Badonicus Triptych' which this and other paintings/drawings will be related to.
The inspiration for the main figures are the Greek & Roman building friezes and headstones (below). The frieze from the Pantheon and myself in Late Roman kit standing next to a painted replica of a Roman Cavalryman's headstone.

The challenge working on the paper was to see if it would take the paint in any way without cockling too much and whether would hold up to any editing while painting.

However, when it came to work on the rider I wasn't happy with the proportions of the body, legs and head!!!!! So I went about scratching out first then carefully drawing the corrected proportions back in.

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Egg Tempera Painting demonstration at Bishops Stortford Art Society evening 5/7/18. Or Questions, questions, so many questions!

7/7/2018

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I was invited by members of the Bishops Stortford Art Society of who's attended my #EggTempera workshop in February @RhodesArtsComplex . To give a painting demonstration of the medium as part of their Summer programme of invited speakers/demonstrators at their meeting room, they had a camera and projector screen to enlarge image of the painting while working on it.

With thanks to my wife Barbara who took the photos above and helped me set up & set down!! I too along some unfinished pieces so the members could look for themselves the progression of the medium as well as finished pieces including the re-worked 'Fayum Bearded Man' below.

The above size of the demonstration piece is A3 (29 x42cm). Lots of questions so this is only as far as I got at the end of the evening. I throughly enjoyed the expierence!

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'Fayum Portrait' Workshop transformation!

6/7/2018

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Starting with one of the traces I drew as a guide for the students of the egg tempera workshop I chose to have the face clean shaven. However, because I was tutoring the workshop I wasn't able to really put the detail into the face even though I'd brought plenty of 'Fayum Mummy Portrait' reference to follow. So the end result was a face looking more like a northern European man with plate skin!!!!!

I painted the hair and added the beard more in keeping with Middle Eastern appearance as well as darkening the skin tone. The biggest change was to slightly enlarge the eyes as was the style used in the original portraits by the craftsman.

The finished painting below!!

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The Green Man of Essex, finally finished!!

4/29/2018

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This painting started as a working example for the egg tempera medium, at a 'skill-swap day' with Tina Warren-https://www.facebook.com/Alphabition/
using a trace drawing from the one day workshop I tutored back in July 2016 at the
https://www.facebook.com/RhodesArtsComplex/

...And finally this..

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'Venus' head portrait from 2012

1/29/2018

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In conjunction with the up and coming Egg tempera workshop at the Rhodes Art Complex in Bishops Stortford UK:
https://rhodesartscomplex.ticketsolve.com/shows/873585267
This post has a 3 page pdf leaflet attached to it to download. About the 'Venus' head I painted back in 2012. It is aimed at anyone who would like to try the painting with the egg tempera medium as something different!!

venus_with_blue_eyes_in_stages_3pg_leaflet.pdf
File Size:	11708 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Shadow Addition to 'Fayum Barbara Portrait'

12/30/2017

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Oops! I have been so focused on the chin, cheeks and eyes, I forgot the shadow under the chin!!!! This I have now rectified.

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'Fayum Barbara Portrait' revised Dec. 2017

12/29/2017

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The original portrait was painted during the 'Pompeii Exhibition' at The British Museum in 2013. I wanted to update this painting to be entered in the local art exhibition 'Harlow Open 18'.

This time, I wanted the portrait to look more realistic instead of the first stylised version. I took photos of Barbara and used those as reference.

The photos above were taken by Caroline Lawrence, author of 'The Roman Mysteries'. www.romanmysteries.com

Below, these photos show the change over time from the stylised features to the more realistic version. I did scratch back the the chin and mouth and eyes to the gesso.

I also worked on the tunic and necklace too!

The finished painting below.

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Simon Barnes

The place to find bespoke hand crafted egg tempera painting for sale and commission,
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'Egg Tempera Painting Workshops' in October at Berrycroft Hub, Ashbury, Wilts UK

'Rhiannon' Egg Tempera Painting Workshop, mid October 2021

The Next Step

'Artorius Triumphant' or trampled underfoot!

Egg Tempera Painting demonstration at Bishops Stortford Art Society evening 5/7/18. Or Questions, questions, so many questions!

'Fayum Portrait' Workshop transformation!

The Green Man of Essex, finally finished!!

'Venus' head portrait from 2012

Shadow Addition to 'Fayum Barbara Portrait'

'Fayum Barbara Portrait' revised Dec. 2017

Simon Barnes

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