p056r_a Vernis pour destrempe
[Chandler 260 /04-26-16, 4:00pm]
Preparation for experiment
Oak Board
- Located wood board in NW corner of lab, leftover from a previous student’s experiment. Based on physical characteristics such as its heavy weight, dense grain structure, and color and appearance, this appears to be white oak. [http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/white-oak/]
- Using industrial steel clamps, secured secured oak board to lab countertop
- Measured and marked 6 inches from the edge of the board with a pencil (the board is approx. 1 inch thick and 12 inches wide)
- With assistance from Naomi, I sawed the 6-inch segment off of the end of board with a bow hacksaw. This took quite a lot of effort, due to the hardness of the wood and the fact that we were using a hacksaw (which is intended for cutting through metal i.e. pipes and bars). The lab's carpenter saw would have been more appropriate, but the blade was very dull and would not have safe or productive for use on the oak.
- After separating 6-inch board from the larger board, I also sawed a shallow groove dividing the surface of the small board into two square areas of about 6x6 in.
- I placed 6-inch board on a SW lab shelf for use my later experiment. Returned remaining oak board to its original location in the NW corner of lab.
[Chandler 260 / 04-29-16, 10:30am]
Step 1 Varnish Preparation
1.1. Preparation
- Made sure SE fume hood is empty and switch on
- Joel demonstrated concept of fume hood air-pull and how to safely work in a fume hood
- Located and assembled glass mason jar, lid, and parafilm to store varnish after making. Labeled it “Varnish – TERESA – Larch Turpentine + Spike-Lavender”
- Set up hot plate and pot with water for double-boiler to heat RSG 10%, following procedure adapted from Marjolijn Bol, for use in following step (lake destrempe layer).
- Taped down sheet of newspaper in fume hood to serve as surface for varnish-making, to catch spills or drips and facilitate cleanup.
- Set out Larch Turpentine 6200 and Spike-Lavender Oil 73800 in fume hood
- Labeled two 100ml beakers “Larch Turpentine” and “Spike-Lavender” and placed on newspaper in fume hood
1.2. Varnish-making
- Poured 25ml of spike-lavender oil (Kremer 73800) into a labeled “Spike-Lavender” 100ml glass beaker in fume hood, place on newspaper. The spike-lavender oil (also known as Aspic Oil) is a transparent, aqueous oil that smells strongly of lavender.
- Scooped 50ml of larch turpentine (Kremer 6200, also known as "Venice turpentine") into a labeled “Larch Turpentine” 100ml beaker. The larch turpentine is decidedly resinous and has the appearance and consistency of slightly solidified honey. It is extremely sticky. It sticks to every surface it comes in contact with, and strings of it would blow around in the fume hood when transferring it from jar to beaker. It emits a pleasant, lingering piney smell.
- I used a plastic knife and chopstick to scoop the Kremer Larch Turpentine 6200, in small amounts, from its original jar into the beaker. This was difficult and time-consuming due to the extreme stickiness of the thick, viscous resin. I had to stop to dispose of my gloves and put on new gloves several times because they would get covered in the larch turpentine and transfer the sticky resin onto every surface that was touched.
- Poured the 25ml of Kremer Spike-Lavender Oil 73800 into the beaker of 50ml of Kremer Larch Turpentine 6200. As I stirred with a wood chopstick, the spike-lavender oil immediately began breaking down the larch turpentine into a consistency more similar to honey, in that it was thick and partially solid but also oozed off the chopstick like molasses. The mixture continued to dissolve very easily. Within 3-4 minutes the mixture was completely unified (the Kremer Larch Turpentine 6200 had completely dissolved) resulting into a translucent, liquidous varnish with the consistency of maple syrup and a rich golden color like amber. Small bubbles were present from the mixing but these quickly dissipated.
- I poured the varnish into the prepared, labeled glass mason jar “Varnish – TERESA – Larch Turpentine, Spike-Lavender”. I stretched a layer of Parafilm over the top of the jar. Parafilm is better than plastic-wrap for this because it adheres to the surface and seals as a protective layer to prevent fumes from escaping. I then placed the metal lid over top of the Parafilm and tightly screwed the lid shut. I placed the sealed jar of varnish in the fume hood during clean up, and later placed the jar underneath the fume hood with the Lab Inventory of turpentines, oils, etc.
1.3. Clean-up
The extremely sticky Kremer Larch Turpentine 6200 (and the resulting varnish) had adhered to any surface it had touched (often as the result of sticky gloves transferring the resin between surfaces). It could only be removed by being saturated with acetone, which completely dissolves the resin and enables its removal.
To clean the beakers I sprayed them with acetone, swished it around to pick up as much larch turpentine/varnish as possible, and poured it into the liquid turpentine waste container. Otherwise, the best way to clean up the larch turpentine/varnish was to saturate paper towels in acetone and saturate/wipe away the larch turpentine and spike-lavender oil, and then dispose of the paper towels in the solid hazardous turpentine waste container. The beakers were then washing in soap and water. All materials were returned to their proper places in the lab. The sealed and labeled jar of varnish was stored underneath the SE fume hood.
Step 2 Lake Layers
2.1 Preparation
Workstation: lab countertop
- Laid down newspaper on lab countertop
- Laid out previously prepared 6x 12 x 1 oak board on lab countertop (divided into two sections)
- Labeled “1” and “2” sections on surface of oak board. On side of board labeled “SOLEY – 52r VERNIS POUR DESTREMPE"
- Laid out Brazilwood Lake A, Kremer Chalk from Champagne on newspaper, and pre-made, heated RSG 10% in the double-boiler.
2.2.a. Destrempe layer
- In a 100ml beaker I combined Brazilwood Lake A (at a ratio of +/- 1:5) with Kremer Chalk from Champagne, mixing with a palette knife. The mixture is a dusky rose color, more purple than I envisioned (I was aiming for a “rosy pink").
- With a pipette, I added a small amount of RSG (about 20 ml).
- The mixture was very odd-looking, not at all what I was aiming for. It was very grayish in color and extremely watery. It did not have the consistency of other distemper paints I had made in the lab previously. Jenny and I concluded that this solution was unusable and the glue was acceptable for use for this purpose. We discarded the mixture.
- Since we identified the faulty RSG 10% as the problem, we heated another container of RSG (15%) we found in the lab fridge. This batch of RSG was much more concentrated. There was only a very small amount left in the beaker but we decided to try to use it anyway. It did not dissolve very well in the double-boiler and was very thick so we added a small amount of water to try to dilute it for use.
- Meanwhile, I decided to mull the red lake and chalk because the previous distemper attempt had been very grainy and did not combine well (the chalk and the red lake with the RSG). On the water mulling glass I combined Kremer Chalk from Champagne and Brazilwood Lake A until I reached my desired color, something gloss to a ‘rosy pink.’ I then mulled the powdered materials with a bit of water, achieving a nice smooth pink paint. The paint still had a greyish tinge, which may have been from the chalk, and still appears slightly more purple than I had envisioned.
- In a 100ml beaker, I transferred this pink chalk-lake-water pigment with a palette knife, and with a pipette I added a small amount of the prepared RSG 15% and then used a palette knife to combine all the ingredients. This distemper paint looked more similar to the distempers we had made in lab in the past - slightly gummy but similar in texture to a slightly grainy acrylic paint - and I deemed it ready for use on the oak boards.
- Using a broad, flat brush (small), I painted a single layer of this lake-distemper onto the Board 1 and Board 2 surfaces in an area of about 4x4 inches each. The paint was not ideal – it clumped together in gummy accumulations in some areas and spread too thin or seemed to be absorbed by the board too much in other areas and appeared transparent rather than opaque. This made me question whether the boards should have a priming or isolation layer such as gesso, something which is not specified in the artist-practioner’s recipe for 56r Vernis pour destrempe and is merely a matter of conjecture for us at this point. We will see how the following layers will look when applied over this ground layer.
- I placed the painted oak board on top of the newspaper on the lab countertop to dry until the next step. The distemper seemed to be trying fairly quickly. I noticed that the paint residue on the mulling glass where I had mixed the pigment had dried into a light pink color. The paint on the boards still appears a darker purplish color, sort of a grayish-berry, so I am interested to see what color they appear when fully dry.
Cleanup
I washed the beakers, mulling materials, brush, and palette knives with soap and water, and disposed of unused RSG mixture in the nonhazardous trash.
[Chandler 206 / 04-29-16 /3:00pm-6:15pm]
Step 3.a. Wine layer on oak board
- On the lap countertop, on a water mulling glass over newspaper, I combined Brazilwood Red Lake A with a nice 2012 Rutherford Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon. Although a Napa Cab Sauv may not have been the historically accurate, it serves its purpose as a non-diluting binding medium that possesses the rich red tone I am aiming for in this glaze. Combined with the red lake, it produced a burgundy red color.
- I mixed the mulled red wine-lake glaze with a few more drops of wine (it dried quickly on the mulling glass), and then with a small, wide, flat brush I glazed the pink detrempe panels (Board 1 and 2) I painted earlier today, which are now dry.
- I first glazed Board 1, which produced a deep, rich, purple-red color. I am going to let Board 1 dry completely before I apply my larch-aspic varnish that I prepared earlier today.
- I then glazed Board 2 with the wine-lake glaze and immediately moved on to the varnishing step.
- In the SE fume hood over a layer of newsprint, I laid out my oak board and retrieved the jar of varnish I had prepared earlier today.
- I put on gloves and safety glasses.
- I placed my oak board in the SE fume hood. I poured a very small amount of my varnish from the jar into a 100ml beaker.
- Using a small, wide, flat brush, I varnished Board 2 (over the still-wet wine-lake).
- Nothing happened! No magically appearing marble pattern as hoped for. However, this is a very nice varnish and it give a nice sheen to the surface and adds really beautiful depth and richness to the color.
Step 2.b. Destrempe Layer on gesso Board
Background
- Upon some recent research into Jan van Eyck’s recently restored Margaretha, I discovered that technical analysis had been done on the reverse of the painting, which bears a striking red imitation marble pattern such as the one I am trying to achieve with this experiment. In this analysis [http://vlaamseprimitieven.vlaamsekunstcollectie.be/en/research/webpublications/the-restoration-and-technical-examination-of-jan-van-eycks-margaret-the-art]
, Jill Dunkerton reconstructs the method that Van Eyck may have used to achieve the imitation marble paint surface. It is fairly similar to Bnf. Ms. Fr. 640’s 56r Vernis pour destrempe, except for the crucial detail that the rear of the Margaretha panel DOES show evidence of a gesso isolation layer.
- Now armed with this knowledge, I have decieded to apply my experiemental reconstruction of Bnf. Ms. Fr. 640’s 56r Vernis pour destrempe to the gessoed panel I have available to me in the lab, which I have been using for skill-building experiments such as distemper flesh tones and gilding.
Process
- I took my gessoed board and using masking tape and a sharpie demarcated the area within a large empty rectangle for use in this experiement. At the top of the board I labeled “TERESA SOLEY | 56r_a Vernis pour destrempe (ANNOTATION)”. Using thin pieces of masking tape I divided the blank gessoed board rectangle into four smaller rectangles of approximately 3x4 inches and labeled with numbers 1 through 4.
- Following the exact same process that I used in my attempt to recreate 56r on the oak board, I mulled together Brazilwood Red Lake B (we had run out of 'A') and Kremer Chalk from Champagne with a few drops of water. Meanwhile, I heated RSG 10% (we did not discard it as planned – Njeri advised me that it was perfectly fine to use).
- Again, I mixed chalk and red lake until I had a nice pink color and then added some RSG until the paint was the desired consistency without sacrificing color. Using a small, wide, flat brush I painted it onto Panel 1 and Panel 2 of my gessoed board.
- I had found this step had produced a very thin laer on the oak board (too thin and transparent), so this time I painted in crosshatches to make a more robust 'single layer' to achieve a more consistent, monochrome dead layer.
Step 3.b. Wine layer on gesso board
- Using the same method that I did to glaze the oak board, on a water mulling glass over newsprint on the lab countertop I mulled together Brazilwood Red Lake B and the mellow California Cabernet. This wine mixture was not only fragrant, but this time also produced an even deeper red oxblood color that was still light and transparent enough to be used as a ‘glaze’.
- Using a small wide, flat brush, I painted a single layer of this wine-lake onto Square 1 on my gessoed panel over the now-dry pink destrempe layer. I will now let this wine-lake layer dry.
- I need to wait for the Enamel Group to get out of the fume hood so that I can 1) apply varnish to my oak Board 1, whose wine-lake layer should be dry, though I don’t have high hopes for any marbling to occur. Once I am in the fume hood I will also varnish my gessoed Board 1, whose wine-lake layer should be dry, and gessoed Board 2, which I will paint with the wine-lake layer and then immediately varnish (for the wet-layer experiment).
- For the wine-lake to apply to Board 2, I mulled it a lot longer to try to eliminate some of the graininess evident in the previous lake layers. By mulling it for longer not only was the paint smoother, but the color really saturated into a gorgeous ruby port color.
In Fume hood
- I applied the larch turpentine-spike lavender varnish I made earlier today to the now-dry oak Board 1. I DID observe that the “light and dark” patterning that the Bnf.Ms.Fr.640 artist-practicioner had mentioned were somewhat visible, but it seemed to be more a matter of transparency of the lake layers over the unprimed wood, nothing resembling marbling. The light and dark streaks were in vertical stripes as I had painted them on in each layer. I set aside the oak board in the fume hood to dry completely.
On Lab countertop
- Returning to my gessoed board on the lap countertop, I recruited Joel to take photos for me and I proceeded to glaze gessoed board Square 2 with the wine-lake glaze. As previously mentioned, this time I mulled the Brazilwood Red Lake B and wine much longer, resulting in a much more saturated color (and less grainy). When applied to the pale pink distemper layer on the gessoed board, this red glaze resulted in a very vibrant and jewel-like color and appearance (this would intensify further after I applied varnish).
- I moved my gessoed board into the fume hood for the next step.
- I poured a small amount of my larch-lavender varnish into a 100ml beaker, and with a small wide, flat brush I applied varnish first to wet Square 2 and then to dry Square 1, but with no marbling affect visible. It was very notable the difference in color between the two squares though, which I attribute to the longer mulling time of the latter lake.
- At this point, observing that very little of what could be called “marbling” was happening with the gessoed boards, Jenny suggested that maybe the problem was not necessarily the method, but the application. In my comprehensive compilation of all the varnish recipes and instructions in Bnf. Ms. Fr. 640, a number of the entries on varnish mentioned that they should be applied with one’s finger. This seemed like it would make sense in the context of a marbled look.
- With a gloved index finger, I swirled the varnish layer over one had of each of the the lake layers of the gessoed boards (segment B of each square). Indeed, the swirled paints started to look a lot more marbly, although the dark-light contrast was nowhere near what I had seen on actual historical objects painted in imitation marble. But still, we may be onto something here.
- It was notable that the varnish over the dry lake layers (Square 1) seemed at that point to react a lot better to the marbling than the wet layers (Square 2). This may be because the AP had mentioned the varnish was supposed to “penetrate” the paint layers and enable the dark-light patterning. This seemed like it worked better when the paint layer was dry rather than still wet (when it just spread around rather than ‘penetrating’).
- I checked back on the boards to see if drying for about thirty minutes since varnishing had changed their appearance at all. Now, Square 2 (varnish applied to wet lake) seemed to show more of a dark-light contrast. Interesting how the drying of various components has such a noticeable effect on the optical properties of the object.
Clean-up
- As before, I used acetone to dissolve the varnish and disposed of liquid waste in the liquid hazardous turpentine waste container, and solids (acetone and varnish contaminated paper towels) in the solid hazardous turpentine waste container. I washed all the RSG equipment with soap and water, as well as the mulling materials and brushes.
Suggestion for further experimentation
I want to use the two empty gessoed board squares (3 and 4) to see if applying varnish with my finger will create the marbled pattern in the red lakes. I am going to apply the two red lake layers as I did for squares 1 and 2 (the red lakes especially well for better texture and color). I hypothesize that applying drops of varnish rather than brushstrokes might work. I want to try applying drops of varnish and then swirling them with my fingertip. I am reminded of a recipe I have for Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies, in which there is a marbling component – in the brownie batter you drop dollops of cream cheese and of jam and more brownie batter, and then with a knife tip you swirl them gently to make a marbled pattern in which the disparate ingredients are folded together, but not enough to combine. I think that could be the trick here.
Another method that might merit trial (though I’m not sure if we will have time) is to try the Bnf.Ms.Fr.640 artist-practitioner’s method for imitation marbling on jasper (Ms. 640 recipe 10r) using yarn to create the patterning.