Two Brooklyn Water Towers, Part 1: mass and volume

"The relationship of planes and curved surfaces, as well as the plane or curvilinear directional inclination of the surfaces, are primary aspects of our perception of mass and volume." - Graham Collier, Form, Space, and Vision

After the initial preparatory work I did for the small panel-painting of the water towers (see March's posting), I followed up with the next step in my standard working method. The above photos show the second layer (the first being a white chalk-gesso ground) --- an under-painting of white egg tempera paint (a mixture of egg yolk and distilled water) and yellow ochre oil paint.

This egg/water solution is a very traditional paint recipe that has been used for many centuries. I'm not breaking new ground here. I make this solution fresh when I am ready to paint and it only lasts a few hours before starting to spoil. But egg yolk makes a very permanent paint film after it cures (evaporation is the first step and happens quickly -- not much more time than it takes to lay down a brush stroke). The medium handles beautifully and enables free expression and subtle effects.

By reinforcing forms repeatedly with very fine brush strokes I can achieve subtle transitions between light and dark to fit these into an atmosphere or, as one art historian has referred to it, an "envelope of air".