Margret E Short Fine Arts Blog

Moon Over Kom Ombo

 

This temple of Kom Ombo is set dramatically on a hill overlooking a bend in the Nile. This Greco-Roman style temple is Egypt's only double temple where everything is doubled and perfectly symmetrical along a central axis. The twin entrances, twin courts, and twin colonnades are all dedicated to both Sobek, the crocodile god and Haroeris the great winged solar disk.

Ever having the eagle eye and on the lookout for pigments, I detected small traces of red iron oxide and a blue that could have been azurite. I later learned the red oxide was the main source of red used throughout antiquity.

The full moon is peaking through the image at the top of the colonnades.

Photo by Dave Short.

Postcards from Giza

 

As some of you know Dave and I just spent 2 splendid weeks on a Discovering Egypt tour where we both made many heretofore unknown discoveries of a beautiful country. The ancient history is overwhelming. Here we are in Giza Plateau at the site of the Great Pyramids. The breathtaking structures were proclaimed by the Greeks to be among the Seven Wonders of the World. The largest, called the Great Pyramid of Cheops, is estimated to have been built in 2600 BC. The camel drivers are difficult to escape, and we were easy targets for their manipulations.

Priming Part #2

Several readers asked more questions about the steps following the rabbit skin glue application during the process of priming linen. Scroll down just a few entries to the December 6th post describing how to deal with the glue.

After you apply the rabbit skin glue as stated in the previous post, let it completely dry for about 24 hours to be safe. Next, I sand the surface of the linen very lightly with a fine grit sandpaper block. If you run the palm of your hand over the surface you will feel the rough threads that lift and dry during the sizing process. You just need to knock these off with the sanding. Afterward, run your palm over the surface and you will feel when it is smooth and the roughness is gone.

Using a step down knife you will now be able to prime the linen. Many different products are excellent for this process. I use oil lead primer so I always wear protective gloves. My preference is the primer from Robert Doak but there are other excellent ones also such as Utrecht. If you are going to use oil paints then you should always prime with an oil primer.

 

The primer is very thick as it comes from the container, like a thick paste, which is OK. The theory is to scrape on a very thin layer just to cover the surface and fill the interstices of the linen's texture. The step down knife is very useful here because the primer will glide smoothly across the surface and your fingers will be protected from the goop.

Remember 2 or 3 thin layers is way better than 1 thick one. I keep scraping all the excess off and putting it back in the can, so it never gets too thick. After the entire surface is covered lay the canvas flat and let it dry for several days. I always do one more layer and let the canvas cure for at least 2 to 3 weeks. At this point I paint on some kind of low oil color like burnt or raw umber, let this dry, and then it is ready to use.

Does any one else have a favorite technique or product? Let us know what your procedure is.