As promised, here’s a photo of the painting I’m currently working on.  It still needs about another two weeks of work, mostly on the face and the jacket.

Portrait - in progress

Unlike my other paintings which I did either in acrylics or oils, this painting is being made using the Mische Technique, which involves using a combination of oil paints and white and red egg tempera.

The Mische Technique was developed in Holland in the late 14th century and has been used by Old Masters as Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling as well as contemporary “visionary” painters.   Using the technique involves applying alternating layers of glazes and white egg tempera to create form before the painting is finished with oil paints.  Because the tempera is extremely opaque and reflective, light reflects off of it through the layers of oil paint to create an amazingly luminous effect.  Additionally, because the form is built up in many stages, the painter can achieve much more depth than with alla prima oil painting techniques.  If you want to learn more about how the technique is done, you may want to check out this website.

I’ll post some more progress shots showing the stages of my own painting in the near future.