Michael Skalka
The Spoils of Our Labors - Indanthrone Blue
Anyone who has traveled to a vacation area or passed through numerous airports has seen this shirt. “I Visited (fill in the location...
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THE SYNTAX OF COLOR
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Michael Skalka
- Aug 4
- 4 min
Again and A”Gahn” - A Human Invention Machine
Summary: Johann Gahn, an 18th-century chemist, discovered an amazing variety of materials that are still in use today. Read how this...
460
Michael Skalka
- Jul 6
- 8 min
Plein Air Painting Evolution
Summary: Plein air is defined as the act of capturing nature outdoors. Its origins and purpose have changed over time and while the term...
932
Michael Skalka
- Jun 8
- 7 min
Ultramarine Blue - A Historical Reassessment?
Summary: A small portion of an article in the New York Times provides an abundance of food for thought regarding the art materials...
1952
Michael Skalka
- May 29
- 6 min
Color Name Confusion
Summary: Were the names that art materials manufacturers invented for paints a well-thought idea or a blend of romantic, historical, and...
1920
Michael Skalka
- May 15
- 6 min
Pyrrole Red, The Allure of Rosso Corsa
Summary: Pyrrole Red is one of a number of pigments that were accidentally discovered. In this essay, take a trip from East Lansing,...
710
Michael Skalka
- Apr 6
- 7 min
Inkjet Art Reproductions - Giclee
Summary: This is the story of how a good idea crashes into a dead end. It illustrates the complexity of what artists encounter if they...
991
Michael Skalka
- Mar 30
- 6 min
Understanding Solvents for Artists
Part 2 Summary: Understanding something about solvents arms us with the knowledge that can help us make artwork as safely as possible....
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Michael Skalka
- Mar 20
- 3 min
Oversimplification of Art Materials
Summary: Modern life is filled with complex things. Maintaining a basic understanding of the nature of materials provides us with...
1260
Michael Skalka
- Mar 2
- 3 min
Roses are Red, Violets are VIOLET
Summary: Documents describing the origin of a pigment can consume multiple pages of explanatory facts or be stated in merely one...
1251
Michael Skalka
- Feb 17
- 4 min
Divine Aniline, Won’t You Be Mine
Summary: The invention of mauve by William Henry Perkins in 1856 from coal tar initiated the study of aniline chemistry. A wide variety...
871
Michael Skalka
- Feb 2
- 4 min
What If Colors Had No Names?
Summary: Ponder this idea. What if the colors we use as artists had no names or were forbidden to have names? Make believe that we are...
1821
Michael Skalka
- Jan 26
- 4 min
Can the Old Masters Teach Us Anything Useful?
Summary: A visit to a museum can be a rich and rewarding educational experience. Looking carefully at paintings as a learning tool is a...
822
Michael Skalka
- Nov 30, 2022
- 4 min
Painting Supports - Part 3
Summary: Looking over the Horizon - As both an artist and a chairman of an ASTM subcommittee focused on quality standards for the art...
1143
Michael Skalka
- Nov 11, 2022
- 9 min
Painting Supports - Part 2
In part one I discussed the benefits of solid panel supports and how they outperformed stretched canvas in every way except weight. ...
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