A Contemporary Solution to Making Renaissance Blue Pigments Lecture

A Contemporary Solution to Making Renaissance Blue Pigments Lecture by Artist Michael Price

The color blue has always displayed a special spiritual significance in the history of art. Natural blue mineral pigments for use in painting are limited to the semiprecious stone lapis lazuli and azurite. These natural blues are witnessing a re-birth among a small group of contemporary artists. However, there is still a lot of confusion surrounding methods of preparation and how to paint with these pigments. This lecture presents the results of the past thirty years of research and painting on a daily basis with these pigments as well as conclusions from aging tests carried out by museum conservation departments. The discussion covers the challenges of painting with natural pigments and how this differs from the modern synthetic colors whether in oil or acrylic binding mediums.

British born artist Michael Price works exclusively with natural and mineral pigments which he prepares himself from rocks and crystals. He has exhibited in Germany, France, England, and the U.S. over the past forty years. His two-volume book Renaissance Mysteries was published in 2016, financed by Kremer Pigments. He lives and works in Manhattan. Organized by the Department of Mathematics and Science, Pratt Institute.