Michael Skalka
Cadmium Yellow Deep: A Misnamed Pigment? Part 2
Summary: Pigments with the same Color Index name but appearing to be a different hue is confusing for the consumer. Abiding by the Color...
THE SYNTAX OF COLOR
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Michael Skalka
- Aug 4
- 5 min
Titanium White
Summary: A very recent news article caught my attention regarding a ban on the use of titanium dioxide white in food products within the...
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Michael Skalka
- Apr 30
- 7 min
Get the Lead Out?
Summary: What is the impact of continued use of lead white oil paint on the health of artists? What does health/safety literature tell us...
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Michael Skalka
- Mar 25
- 4 min
We tame the medium and the medium tames us
Summary: Making art is a two-way proposition. An artist masters the medium of their choice and bends it to their will. However, the...
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Michael Skalka
- Mar 2
- 5 min
...as Clear and Transparent as a Piece of Coal... Part 2
Summary: John Steuart Curry and Reginald Marsh corresponded with Jacques Maroger in the 1940s to obtain the long lost secret of Old...
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Michael Skalka
- Jan 14
- 5 min
Testing the Test?
Summary: The ASTM subcommittee D01.57 creates standards that manufacturers may follow to assure their products are light fast, indicate...
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Michael Skalka
- Jan 7
- 3 min
Adventures in Painting
In a previous Syntax of Color essay, I encouraged readers to branch out and try other media to expand your skills and capabilities. ...
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Michael Skalka
- Dec 18, 2021
- 4 min
Painting and Music
It is likely that many of you have a wide number of art forms that you appreciate. My interests in music, especially technical, music...
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Michael Skalka
- Dec 5, 2021
- 3 min
Do This, Not That!
While two or three instances of what I am about to describe does not constitute a trend, I find this method of destroying unwanted...
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Michael Skalka
- Nov 24, 2021
- 4 min
Paint Big or Go Home
I painted thickly. I painted thinly. I scraped things off. I over painted many areas. I changed my mind several times because things...
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Michael Skalka
- Nov 11, 2021
- 3 min
Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
Sometimes making art requires the same strategy that is employed when doing physical exercises. Doing different sets of repetitions,...
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Michael Skalka
- May 5, 2021
- 3 min
We All Scream for Ice Cream
Do you remember where and when you were the first time you saw and had an opportunity to use art materials? Were you immersed in the...
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Michael Skalka
- Feb 25, 2021
- 5 min
This Art Is So Stupid a Monkey Could Paint That!
This is probably a phrase that is muttered daily under the breath by some patrons who visit a modern art museum. It is easy to recognize...
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Michael Skalka
- Dec 3, 2019
- 1 min
We're back....
After a considerable hiatus, the art materials website devoted to pigment history stories, interviews with artists and manufacturers,...
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