Distemper

I haven't got any images here (yet)

But when i get home i'll ferret out some pics of the distemper on linen paintings that I did in 2003.

Distemper is ye olde fashioned gouache - which was used by lots of artists in the olden days - especially Breughel.

It's made by mixing pigment with rabbit skin glue - in a process very similar to making gesso. The paint has a really nice semi opaque semi transparent quality and the colours are less yellow than with oil paint.

It's kind of like the nice bits of watercolour - but you can get thicker with it and build up a series of marks and layers that have a nice structure.

In 2003 I went back to study art history and theory - so my studio works became a bit sporadic. I did lots of acrylic life paintings and regular zany performances.