About The Process
The look of a genuine masterpiece is unmistakable, and it all begins with the right materials.
The Surface
Following the examples of the Old Masters, figurative artist Christopher Wilke only paints on the finest Belgian Linen and birch panels. All of the panels and fabrics are hand made and finished using time-honored techniques handed down over generations.
For over 40 years, the Narozni family have been crafting fine art supports in Provence
France where the warm dry climate is ideal for slow and stable drying of the primed fabrics and surfaces. Close attention to detail make these surfaces not a commodity but a premium product for those wanting the very best, artist and collector alike.
By combining time-honored European methods of priming with modern chemistry, this canvas provides a conservator's grade painting surface that preserves finished art century after century.
These linen canvases feature the longest natural thread (fewer knots) for strong, flawless surfaces. All panels and linens are double sized and then primed by hand with at least 4 additional layers using lead style oil primer which maintains the traditional qualities of a lead priming without its toxicity. Each layer is sanded down by hand with pumice stones before the next layer is added. An amazing and highly involved process that produces an unbelievably smooth and consistent archival surface. Its unique absorbency allows oil paints to "bite" into the surface, increasing adhesion and depth of color. When glazed, colors glow from within.
The Mediums
The incomparably vivid and transparent colors, glowing surface and centuries of permanence that we associate with paintings of Renaissance and Baroque masters are very often due to their use of painting mediums and varnishes which contain high concentrations of the jewel-like ancient resin - AMBER, which has remained unchanged for 40 million years
Research into the lost painting mediums used by the Flemish Masters has shown that the Old Masters painted in many instances with co-polymerized drying oil mediums and resin oil varnishes in addition to mixing essential oil varnishes with their paints.
The use of these mediums accounts for the long-term permanence and unique optic effects found in their paintings.
In reality the Old Masters mediums were often varnishes rather than the oil mediums, as we know them today. The most desirable of these varnishes was amber varnish made from the gemstone amber, a fossilized tree resin, which has been repeatedly recognized in early histories of painting techniques and early instruction manuals for painters. As the Industrial Revolution approached, commercial paint manufacturers appeared and artists gradually ceased making their own paints and mediums. Because of fire risks these new paint manufacturers favored cold rather than hot processes.
In a very short time the old methods were forgotten and lost. That is, until now.
The mediums used by Christopher Wilke in his original oil paintings
are made using only centuries-old, time-tested methods of making mediums
and varnishes, and by employing only those natural resins and oil media
mentioned in 15th and 17th century writings. They are made in small,
carefully controlled batches, unlike modern mass-produced painting media,
made up of metal-based dryers, synthetic materials, and nontraditional
resins like Damara. By using only historically validated recipes and
techniques, these mediums help Christopher Wilke achieve a saturation
and luminescence previously only experienced in museums.
The Painting Process
The painting begins as a concept sketch, and evolves into a finished drawing with the aid of models. The finished drawing is the exact size as the surface upon which the final painting will be created. The drawing is then traced into a line drawing and minute holes are painstakingly punched through the paper along the lines. The perforated tracing is then secured onto the surface of the painting panel and thinned oil paint is spread over the paper so that it reaches the panel underneath through the small holes. When the paper is removed a vague dotted outline of the line drawing can be seen on the panel, and using these points as a guide the artist proceeds to recreate the line drawing on the panel with a fine brush.
This method assures that the only substances that are used to create the oil painting on the panel surface are archival.
Next, a very thin layer of paint is applied over the entire canvas in a monochrome. This layer is called the wash. Doing a wash in monochrome allows the artist to focus on light and contrast without being distracted by color, and it is with this layer that Christopher Wilke begins making use of carefully lit photographic references. The wash serves as a guide for the first colored layer, called the underpainting.
The underpainting is painted with a very thick layer of paint in the "wrong" colors and completely covers the wash. Colors are used that are the antithesis of how they will appear in the final painting. This is to allow the underpainting to create the beginning of luminescence, particularly important with the painting of skin-tones.
The underpainting will partially show through the overpainting, which is painted in a slightly more medium-rich, or translucent, manner. The overpainting is the most involved and detailed layer. This is the layer that will define the realism and accuracy of the portrayal.
Finally, a minimum of 3-5 glazes, or super-translucent layers are added to the surface. These layers are what breath the life and depth into the painting, an optical effect reminiscent of stained glass that is so loved in the work of the Old Masters and Romantic painters such as Parish. This is an effect that no photographic representation can ever replicate, and must be seen in person to be fully appreciated.
Finally 3-5 layers of amber varnish are added to the surface, to fully saturate the colors and protect the pigment layers. This varnish is impossible to remove with modern conservation techniques. To be certain that the paintings can be properly restored by future conservators Christopher Wilke then adds several layers of Damar varnish. This is the layer that conservators will remove and replace to "clean" an oil painting. By varnishing the painting first with amber resin varnishes, Christopher Wilke assures that conservators will never disturb or remove any pigment layers, which is often an unfortunate side-effect of modern conservation efforts that can regrettably be seen in museums throughout the world.
The entire process from concept to completion and delivery takes from 3 to 8 months. A process worth the wait, and certain to be a treasured family heirloom for generations to come.