Trilea Minson and Professor Richard Hull, Visual Arts

Several great painters in art history used a certain kind of technique on their paintings. They used thin glazes rather then opaque layers of oil paint. Layers upon layers of translucent glazes created a luminous quality in their painting that added a richness and depth still admired and appreciated today. Unfortunately, this process is also very time consuming, and as such has been abandoned by many artists and art instructors. By learning this traditional process, I felt that I could not only increase my abilities as a painter and enhance my portfolio work, but also preserve the magnificent tradition and share it with others in the future.

I got instruction from my advisor on where to begin. I contacted several professional artists, some of whom know much about the old traditional methods, and some who are currently using the method in their art today. I received from them a great deal of information that allowed me to begin the painting process.
I chose a landscape as my subject, and went out in the open air to paint. I painted small studies to preserve the true colors that I saw with my eyes so that I could take it back and have references to work from. I also captured elements of the scene with my camera for additional reference, and then went back to my studio to do the under-painting.

Old masters using the glazing technique would start their paintings with an under-painting: an essentially monochromatic value study. They would only use a few neutral or earthy colors to create a basic duo-tone picture. With all the correct shapes and values in place, the glazes could then be applied. Putting one glaze on over another would blend them together, and they would add more and more layers until they achieved the desired look.

I learned that in making a glaze, there were several mediums one could add to the paint. I picked the ones that I felt would work best with my painting style. I mixed the colors and then thinned them with the medium to create each glaze, and then applied it to my under-painting. I made sure to let each layer dry in between applications. After adding several layers of glazing, I began to see what actually came from the glazes, and appreciate to a much higher degree the potential of this traditional technique. Unfortunately, I have also come to appreciate the amount of time involved, especially since it can sometimes require several days for each layer to dry. I have not yet reached the point in the process that will give my painting the luminosity I seek. It will probably require many more layers to add the richness that I desire.

I have also learned the importance of making sure that the original under-painting is as precise and detailed as I want the final product to be, because any major corrections or adjustments to the painting in terms of shape or detail usually require the reapplication of opaque layers, which then increases the time of the project as the layers of glaze must then be reapplied over that area.

I can easily see me working on glazes for many months but hope to finish it in the next month. I expect to see a luminous quality to the final product.