Michael Skalka
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...
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THE SYNTAX OF COLOR
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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,...
570
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...
831
Michael Skalka
- Jun 21, 2022
- 4 min
Materials Marketing Mishaps
Summary: Costly and elaborate advertising materials for artists’ materials have become a rarity. Specifically, hand-painted color charts...
1391
Michael Skalka
- Jan 23, 2022
- 5 min
Let's Raise a Glass to Naphthol Red
Summary: An unusual relationship exists between the brewing industry and the invention of a host of synthetic organic pigments in the azo...
590
Michael Skalka
- Jan 14, 2022
- 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...
520
Michael Skalka
- Nov 11, 2021
- 4 min
Are We All Using the Same Yardstick?
The focus of this essay is on an apparent lack of consistency that has been going on for decades. ASTM (The American Society for Testing...
611
Michael Skalka
- Nov 4, 2021
- 4 min
"We May Never Pass This Way (Again""
Perhaps the reason I gravitate so strongly towards researching art materials and related items is that they have a long history. For me,...
590
Michael Skalka
- Oct 26, 2021
- 3 min
Frankly My Dear, I Don’t Give a Lake!
I heard an “interesting” story years ago on the origin of lake pigments. A person who felt he was a leading expert on pigments, told a...
1643
Michael Skalka
- Oct 22, 2021
- 3 min
How Can I Be Sure?
How can I be sure, in a world that's constantly changing? (Young Rascals “How Can I Be Sure” 1967) We place a tremendous amount of trust...
280
Michael Skalka
- Oct 15, 2021
- 4 min
The Color of EVERYTHING!
The importance of this primary color mixing system to achieve a matched color compared to a sample is that an objective, numerical value...
700
Michael Skalka
- Oct 7, 2021
- 3 min
Should Odorless Mineral Spirits Be Scented?
I have been grappling with this question for many years. This issue has a number of technical components that make it hard to explain...
1484
Michael Skalka
- Sep 16, 2021
- 3 min
Permanent Green Light
Let’s explore another of what art material manufacturers sometimes refer to as “convenience colors.” This means a color that can be mixed...
2620
Michael Skalka
- Jul 8, 2021
- 3 min
I Did Not Chop Down the Cherry Tree
The Global Marketplace: My old, worn out pun is that, “colors available in the pigment world are largely ‘driven’ by the automobile...
500
Michael Skalka
- Jun 22, 2021
- 5 min
Henry Levison: A Debt of Gratitude
Depending on a person’s age, the art materials manufacturer, Permanent Pigments, may or may not be recognized. Even more senior artists...
25210
Michael Skalka
- May 22, 2021
- 2 min
Let Every Voice Be Heard
Why do artists avoid being aggressive consumers? I have asked that question both to my friends who are artists in my “civilian” role and...
332
Michael Skalka
- May 11, 2021
- 4 min
The Competition to Make Artificial Ultramarine Blue
Ecole Polytechnique vs. The University of Tubingen. Scholastic rivalries have interesting histories. Each year both school athletic teams...
160
Michael Skalka
- Apr 20, 2021
- 2 min
No "D" in Winsor and Newton
The recent passing of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edenborough, reminded all of us of the long time span that Elizabeth has been the...
410
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