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THE SYNTAX OF COLOR
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International Klein Blue
Summary: Yves Klein Blue is a fascinating art concept, making the detective work to fully understand it both intriguing and frustrating....
Michael Skalka
Feb 24, 20246 min read


Cave Dust and Gold – Realgar and Orpiment
Summary: Old pigments contain a glimpse into the history of what was mined or harvested materials, the chemical makeup of these...
Michael Skalka
Jan 20, 20246 min read


The Spoils of Our Labors - Indanthrone Blue
Summary: The Spoils of Our Labors - Indanthrone Blue explores the discovery of pigment manufacturers have used to add a blue hue to a...
Michael Skalka
Sep 12, 20234 min read


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...
Michael Skalka
Aug 4, 20234 min read


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...
Michael Skalka
Jun 8, 20237 min read


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...
Michael Skalka
May 29, 20236 min read


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,...
Michael Skalka
May 15, 20236 min read


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....
Michael Skalka
Mar 30, 20236 min read


Oversimplification of Art Materials
Summary: Modern life is filled with complex things. Maintaining a basic understanding of the nature of materials provides us with...
Michael Skalka
Mar 20, 20233 min read


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...
Michael Skalka
Mar 2, 20234 min read


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...
Michael Skalka
Feb 17, 20234 min read


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...
Michael Skalka
Feb 2, 20234 min read


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...
Michael Skalka
Jan 26, 20235 min read


Painting Supports - Part 1
Summary: Artists need to understand the positive and negative aspects of painting supports. A support that appears stable and sound when...
Michael Skalka
Nov 4, 20224 min read


Food Coloring
Summary: Both in the past and the present, foods have been used as colorants for a variety of purposes. They can serve as pigments as...
Michael Skalka
Sep 7, 20225 min read


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...
Michael Skalka
Aug 4, 20225 min read


Materials Marketing Mishaps
Summary: Costly and elaborate advertising materials for artists’ materials have become a rarity. Specifically, hand-painted color charts...
Michael Skalka
Jun 21, 20224 min read


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...
Michael Skalka
Apr 30, 20227 min read


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...
Michael Skalka
Mar 25, 20224 min read


Chrome Colors
Summary: Chrome colors were derived from the discovery of chromium by the French scientist, Louis Nicolas Vauquelin in 1797. Their...
Michael Skalka
Mar 14, 20225 min read
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