Mythology

Canto VII (67-96) Fortune in the fourth circle with the hoarders and the wasters 2017 Illustrating Epic Poetry.

Posted on by
Epic poetry is my favorite read, here in particular is Fortune in Canto VII, passing out chances, fate and the like.  She’s mentioned in Inferno by Alighieri. I paint Fortune holding a wheel, 
keeping in pace with modern atrocities such as the Pripyat Wasteland. 
Remember the yellow ferris wheel  that was never used because every single person in the city of Pripyat city had to run away as fast as they could leaving everything behind, and you would think…but, no, “they” keep making them.
Mythology
Canto VII The Wheel of Fortune with The Hoarders and the Wasters 2017
Canto VII  Inferno by Dante Alighieri 
This book reveals a lot of things about humanity.  It’s called a comedy; Yeah, maybe their punishment is humorous.  The hoarders rolling huge rocks and slamming them into the squanderers, shouting “Why do you waste?”, and they, in turn, shout “Why do you hoard?” 
They are unrecognisable nudes covered in dark slime shouting with twisted angry faces. If the punishments suits the sin, could it be wasting time on meaningless activities?
Today there’s a new sets of hoarders and wasters.  Where do they plan on keeping all the hoarded nuclear fuel rod waste and what are they going to do about the already wasted land; keep adding to it? I ask my self. There is a plan on how to let people living in the far future know that the stuff that’s burried deep below is not valuable like a treasure to dig up; but, an invisible killer.  Our society finds things they’ve dug up every day, so why wouldn’t our distant future dig things up to find out about pre-existing societies like we do?  Could it be that “they”  don’t care because they won’t be here.

Dante’s Inferno Canto IV Modern Language Version. Written by Jim Belton and Illustrated by Victoria Olson.

Posted on by

Canto IV Limbo 2017

The next day, we came to the foot of a noble castle, circled seven times by high walls. A fair creek encircled the walls, but we crossed it as if it was hard ground. I went in through the seven gates with the sages, and we came to a healthy green meadow.

Jim Belton’s modern language version of Canto II by Dante Alighieri. Click here to read Canto IV.

 

Figure Painting

Posted on by

Dante’s Inferno Canto IV in process – Mixed Technique:  Tempera Under-painting and Resin-Oil Finish.

ILLustration in Process of Canto IV, Limbo

Almost finished…(Inspired by Dante Alighieri’s  The Divine Comedy)

Canto IV Session 17

Canto IV Session 20

The mixed technique is oil paint and egg tempera. The resin-oil drying time is more than a few days.

When drying a painting with this kind of mixture make sure the painting is isolated for a few days since all varnishes are volatile and harmful.

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri is as Divine as Epic Poetry gets.  There’s nothing pretty about the poem to paint and art has never been about painting a pretty pictures.

I’ve posted three sessions, the other sessions in between were mistakes taken off of the canvas.  ;).

 

 

 

 

unfinished

Session 19

 

Canto IV Limbo

Canto IV Limbo Session 10

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure Painting

Posted on by

Dante’s Inferno Canto IV in process – Mixed Technique: Tempera Underpainting and Resin-Oil Finish.

Illustration in Process of Canto IV Limbo.

Canto IV Limbo

Canto IV Limbo Last Session

Canto IV Session 8a

Canto IV Session 12

Canto IV Session 8b

Canto IV Session 11

Canto IV Session 8c

Canto IV Session 10

Canto IV 8d

Canto IV Session 9

canto-4-session-8-cover0

Canto IV Session 8

canto-4-session-7-on-easel

Canto IV Session 7

canto-4-session-6a

Canto IV Session 6

canto-4-session-5

Canto IV Session 5

canto-4-limbo-underpainting-session-4

Canto IV Session 4

canto-4-limbo-underpainting-session-3

Canto IV Session 3

session-2-building-up-color

Canto IV Session 2

session-1-light-underpainting

Canto IV Session 1

 

 

 

Dante’s Inferno Canto I Modern Language Version. Written by Jim Belton and Illustrated by Victoria Olson

Posted on by
Canto I (49-50)

Canto I (49-50)

“and I lost hope of reaching the hilltop. I was like a man who takes his gains willingly, but when the time comes to lose, weeps and is full of sadness. The beasts came at me and little by little pushed me back down the slope toward the dark wood, where the sun did not shine.” 

 

I found Jim Belton’s  modern language version on word press; he’s been re-writing The Divine Comedy – by Dante Alighieri.  Click here to read Canto I.

 

 

 

 

 

Figurative Mixed Media Painting Process of Canto IV, an Illustration of Limbo inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy

Posted on by

I start with stretcher bars.

2-stretcher-bars

73 cm x 100 cm or 28.74 in x 39.37 in

I’m using duck cloth. It’s heavy, plain woven cotton fabric.

3-stretcher-bars-on-canvas

duck cloth

I mounted the material on the stretcher bars, gave it a thin coat of rabbit skin glue (let it dry) and then I primed it.  Primer:  Mix equal amounts of zinc oxide, calcium sulfate and rabbit skin glue.  Pour the rabbit skin glue into the zinc oxide and calcium sulfate little by little mixing with a brush.

Primer

Primer

Here is the primed canvas on the easel.

primed-canvas-on-easel

Primed Canvas

Egg tempera emulsion is made by mixing an egg, oil, varnish and water together in a tall flask of equal proportions, shaking after each ingredient in that respective order.

mixing-emulsion

Mixing the Emulsion

I started off using these earth colors: blanco de España, zinc oxide, verde Veronese, transparent gold ocher and vine black.

pallet-basic-tierra-pigments

Dry Pigment with Emulsion and Spatula for mixing

This is what the pigments look like when mixed with the emulsion.  This is a water based medium.

9-dry-pigment-mixed-with-emulsion

Pigment mixed with emulsion and water container

Egg tempera can be watered down as thinly as you like, but not always as thick as you like.

session-1-light-underpainting

Session 1 egg tempera under painting in process

I start adding color and still painting thinly.

session-2-building-up-color

Session 2 egg tempera under painting

This is the under painting.

session-3

Session 3 egg tempera under painting

Canto IV describes a castle emanating a fire-like-light in limbo within a dark forest void of light.

canto-4-session-5

Session 4 egg tempera under painting

I used gold leaf to represent the light.

gold-leif

Gold leaf

I paint the area where I want to put the gold leaf on because the canvas has to be sealed or the gold leaf won’t stick.

canto-4-session-6a

Session 5 gold leaf

Here, I’ve just started to use oil color.  I mixed dry pigment with poppy seed oil.  When mixed, the paint should stand up like butter.

canto-4-session-8

Session 6 oil painting

Resin oil is a mixture of stand oil, thickened linseed oil and venetian turpentine.

canto-4-session-9

Session 7 resin oil

With wet resin oil, you can paint hair-line brush strokes into it with egg tempera and switch back and forth with tempera and oil.  This is a mixed media.  You must always follow the rule of fat over lean.

canto-4-session-10

Canto IV, Limbo Session 8

 I’m waiting for this painting to dry completely so I can decide whether I want to stop or continue.

Egg Tempera Figurative Painting Process

Posted on by
Here I’m posting some of the steps of mounting a canvas and starting a tempera painting.
primed-canvas-on-easel
Here is the stretched and primed canvas on the easel ready to use.

In the spring there’s a lot of light and colorful motif, but it all goes away when the fall comes in.  That’s the season I prefer to do tempera painting; when it’s not too hot.

2-stretcher-bars

This is the first step; stretcher bars.

Make sure the corners are squared.

3-stretcher-bars-on-canvas

Step 2; Canvas Material.

This is called Duck-Cloth.  It’s made of good quality cotton and is inexpensive.  After stretching the canvas, it is sized with glue.  I use rabbit skin glue ( in the white coffee cup) brushed on the canvas lightly with a wide brush.

Primer

Primer

Once the canvas has been sized and is completely dry, it is primed. It’s made by mixing  3 equal parts of zinc oxide, calcium sulfite and rabbit skin glue.  I buy these ingredients here in Madrid; most art stores have these products. 

Primed Canvas

Primed Canvas

Primed.

It takes about a day and a half to stretch, size and prime a canvas because of the drying time.

charcoal-drawing

Charcoal drawing on canvas

I made a quick charcoal drawing on the canvas to put everything more or less where it belongs.

mixing-emulsion

Mixing the Emulsion

Here is my set up with newspaper, brushes, spray bottle, pigments,  water container. This is a water-based medium.

9-dry-pigment-mixed-with-emulsion

Pigment mixed with emulsion and water container

When the emulsion and the pigments are mixed together, they should stand up, not run to meet the surface of the table.

session-1-light-underpainting

Session 1 Light egg tempera under painting

This is the first session.

session-2-building-up-color

Session 2 Building up Color

Session 2. Building up Color.

session-3

Session 3

This is the 3rd session.  One of the things I like about painting is that I don’t know exactly what it will look like when it’s finished. This painting is still in process.