Michael SkalkaNov 24, 20214 minPaint Big or Go HomeI painted thickly. I painted thinly. I scraped things off. I over painted many areas. I changed my mind several times because things...
Michael SkalkaNov 11, 20214 minAre 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...
Michael SkalkaNov 11, 20213 minStep Outside Your Comfort ZoneSometimes making art requires the same strategy that is employed when doing physical exercises. Doing different sets of repetitions,...
Michael SkalkaNov 4, 20214 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,...
Michael SkalkaOct 26, 20213 minFrankly 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...
Michael SkalkaOct 22, 20213 minHow 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...
Michael SkalkaOct 15, 20214 minThe 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...
Michael SkalkaOct 7, 20213 minShould 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...
Michael SkalkaSep 30, 20214 minThrough Thick or Thin?I am focusing on paint viscosity while working on some big pictures that required a large quantity of oil paint. This got me thinking...
Michael SkalkaSep 21, 20214 minCaffeine and ColorThe story behind colors takes one to many different places. It is a story of people and their personal accomplishments. This one is...
Michael SkalkaSep 16, 20213 minPermanent Green LightLet’s explore another of what art material manufacturers sometimes refer to as “convenience colors.” This means a color that can be mixed...
Michael SkalkaSep 9, 20213 minStretching and Straining (Canvas, That Is)An artist can get a bit spoiled by continuously painting on pre-primed panels because it is easy to forget the steps needed to prepare a...
Michael SkalkaSep 2, 20215 minA Primer on Primers -"A Little Dab Will Do Ya."Oil Penetration The same question appears repeatedly on various social media sites that utilize crowd-sourced responses. The question:...
Michael SkalkaAug 26, 20217 minA is for AZO YELLOWManufacturers of Magnetic Tape, Aspirin and Yellow Pigments Developing a story becomes a challenging proposition when it comes to certain...
Michael SkalkaAug 19, 20213 minBetter Living Through Chemistry?Synthetic Artists’ Papers When I originally planned the Syntax of Color website, one goal was to focus on new products. Time and other...