Our interest in Metallic colours is an old one. The ancient Egyptians learnt to hammer gold to adorn sarcophagi and tombs. Such a revered material, it was thought to be akin to the skin of gods. Images of gods would be painted by grinding flakes of… more
Being a pigment analyst and my interest, specifically, is the analysis of artists’ pigments. By which I mean pigments that have been used by a historical or contemporary artist in creating a painting or installation. Whilst this may at first seem obvious, it is an important… more
An enormous diversity of ideas exists with regard to colour and its many uses. These ideas are fluid and depend on cultures, histories, religions, and professions (including that of an artist) and change through time. Therefore, having one single unifying theory of colour would be simplistic… more
*stevejohnsonart.eu There are three primary colours, red, yellow and blue. Red is the warmest; blue is the coolest. From these three primaries, all other possible colours can be mixed. Colours for Fine Art painting are made from pigment mixed with a binding medium, and pigments are… more
Francisco Goya, Ad Reinhardt, Anna Barriball In terms of the science of physics, black is not a colour. Black absorbs all light from the visible colour spectrum and reflects none of this light back into our eyes. Black’s opposite, white, is a colour, scientifically speaking,… more
(Picture above: Floating in still water, 2019) Some years ago, I built a palette table on wheels, which has followed me from studio to studio. It has a large glass top and the white table can be seen through enabling me to mix colours cleanly.… more