Madeline von Foerster: Painting

This page is meant to answer some questions about the mixed oil and egg tempera technique I use for my paintings. The Mische, or Mixed, technique was invented by the Flemish Masters of the 15th century. The tempera allowed them to paint exquisite detail, while the oil layers permitted sumptuous blending and realism. In concert the two media offer unparalleled luminosity, as light travels through the oil glazes and reflects off the highly opaque tempera beneath.

My descriptions are merely an overview and not a how-to. The technique involves many steps which I have ommitted for the sake of brevity. If you are interested in learning this method, I highly encourage you to study at one of the seminars offered by my teacher, Professor Philip Rubinov-Jacobson.



	This page is meant to answer some questions about the mixed oil and egg tempera technique I use for my paintings. The Mische, or Mixed, technique was invented by the Flemish Masters of the 15th century. The tempera allowed them to paint exquisite detail, while the oil layers permitted sumptuous blending and realism. In concert the two media offer unparalleled luminosity, as light travels through the oil glazes and reflects off the highly opaque tempera beneath. My descriptions are merely an overview and not a how-to. The technique involves many steps which I have ommitted for the sake of brevity. If you are interested in learning this method, I highly encourage you to study at one of the seminars offered by my teacher, Professor Philip Rubinov-Jacobson.

	1. The detailed compositional drawing is rendered on the panel, in ink.
		2. The imprimatura: a layer of tinted egg tempera is applied to the entire panel. (Apologies for the terrible glare in this picture!)
	3. The underpainting: all forms are rendered using egg tempera. At this stage, form is independant from color: for instance, in the underpainting a white cloth will look the same as a black one.
		4. An ochre glaze is applied to the panel. Some of the contrast is diminished.
	5. Contrast is now brought back with the application of more white tempera to the brightest highlights in the painting, giving greater dimension to the forms.
		6. Local glazes are applied to provide general tone to objects and areas in the painting. The image is still an underpainting at this point.
	7. Oil paint is now used to create the painting, at differing levels of opacity, depending on the desired effect. (In this case, areas such as the face were painted with opaque oil layers. The armour required only glazed highlights and shadows to achieve a realistic appearance of metal.) More tempera is employed to add additional detail or highlight, or to correct.
		8. The finished painting.