Talc in Egg Tempera

[Dimitris C. Milionis]

who has on hands experience with Talc mixed in Egg Tempera?

does it keep its transparency?

does it offer a slight or mantain an increase in the body paint and texture, something like a light gel?

[Dimitris C. Milionis]

I hate it when I ask a question and I dont get an answer

Hello!

I guess I must be asking the Oracle the Wrong question.

[David McKay]

Hi Dimitris: I am enjoying reading all the new posts that you have recently added. I guess that you could assume nobody has tried mixing talc with egg tempera. I have not and quite frankly am wondering why anybody would. Would not talc be something like a low quality whitish pigment? What am I missing? David

[Dimitris C. Milionis]

In the Greek orthodox Icon tradition of ET on gesso [no marble dust] on wood for the last 1800 years or so, the tradition never mixed other material in the egg [by tradition, I bet some did!], in searching to find new possibilities for contemporary paintings and artist using ET, like adding Gel type options in your egg, talc or other household compounds might give that completive interest to bring in more artist to play and enjoy with egg tempera, and have galleries a new chat angle to gallery sales.

:arrow: Possibly using ET for abstract works in heavy thick brush loads.

I guess my point is to get ET a new image style of expression from small detail strokes to big fast thicker palate knife style pastes.

Yes talc as a filler does work and makes the colors more mat and thicker and more pastel to a greater level, I just fear that it might break apart.

I might be wrong!! :-?

I know that allot of people here have done crazy experiments with eggs, like eat them. :oops:

...just wanted to know if anybody had played with talc several years ago and their painting is still intact. :!:

before I go out with a new collection of ET large format paintings to the gallery clientele. 8-)

[jeff]

In a way body is just what you don't want in tempera, because it will weaken the final painting. I wouldn't use talc because of its contamination with asbestos, but why not use a glass frit or quartz for transparent body? I use wax emuslion like gel and it gives a wonderful texture to the paint, but it really can be a problem when it dries and without proper application will crack.

jeff

[Salamander]

Could you mix a bit of saponified wax with the egg to settle the brittleness of the talc? This could help with the impasto goal as well.
Eric in Oceanside.

[jeff]

The wax does allow for quite a lot of impasto. With just egg yolk the extra talc would simply not have enough medium to be bound properly, so yes it probably would correct for brittleness. Still it is difficult to make work properly in impasto greater than 1mm thick. I believe that resin/oil/egg tempera may be better suited to this sort of thing. Then you will have to use turpentine probably as a thinner if you want to go for heavier impasto. I haven't tried it so I can't say how it would work.

jeff