Paint making is an unusual process. As an artist, I prefer materials that suit my expectations. I began with natural hard resin formulas. Later, I took a few workshops with Michael Price in Brooklyn. Price taught me about preparing pigments, and their specific, chemical properties. Azurite is a specific, acid sensitive mineral that cannot be made into oil paint with linseed oil. By using the correct oil, this extraordinary mineral color remains permanently blue rather than turning black - as in linseed oil. Casein - coated azurite may be an exception to mixing it with linseed oil. I consulted many historical sources - all of which concern themselves with the properties of pigments and specific oils. Later I will share my bibliography with you. Reading translations that are often over a hundred years old, was an interesting journey into semantics. Grammatical interpretations sometimes created errors, particularly when referring to colors, often confusing material with color, eg, amber. Regarding hard resin materials, the same applies, as hard copal varnish may be the most overlooked medium of all time.
What you see here is a sample of processed casein-coated azurite, grade AAA.
The colors are from the core stone that varies in quality. The cleaning (water protein process) purifies the colors and through levigation, become pigment. In this case I moved the water away from the pigment in a circular manner and an image appeared. Metaphysical qualities of natural minerals abound within the alchemy of paint making. Each mineral has physical properties that are unique and dictate (lightfastness, permanence) - how the material is processed.
I call this specimen, Romulus as it reminded me of the Roman babies at the tits of the she wolf. This specimen is from the Congo region, known for particularly beautiful quality minerals including diamonds. The process continues with making different particles to create the pigment.
Once made, pigment may be made into a variety of paints depending on the medium.
