So, my lime putty came in! Hooray! I got to work right away mixing it up (it was a little chunky) with an electric drill mixer (already I did NOT feel like Michaelangelo). He would be shaking his head at me for several reasons. Instead I felt more like da Vinci, going at something I hadn't tried before like gangbusters. And I, like the great Renaissance master before me, failed at my fresco painting attempt.
But, not because I was trying an innovative technique or revolutionizing anything, I just didn't know what I was doing and thought a couple of Youtube tutorials and website instructions would give me what I needed to at least complete a painting. Well, I did complete a painting as you can see in the video below.
What you don't see is how 1-3 hours later it all cracked and flaked off the substrate. Needless to say, I have learned a few things and will come at my second attempt wiser, but probably with just as much gusto. I truly truly have an appreciation for the masters of this medium and how not just difficult it is to accomplish in such a short time, in such weird positions (upside down, sitting on the ground with legs outstretched, etc.) but also the knowledge of the material itself that is necessary in order to understand all the variables that go into a successful buon fresco.
Just like the luxuriousness of drawing and painting on a lithographic stone, painting on the wet plaster had its velvety softness, its sumptuous blending and richness unlike any other medium. The intensity of the color was also unexpected and I will have to do some pigment adjusting and glazing and I look forward to my second attempt, and hopefully not make the same mistakes twice (maybe I'll make some new ones!).
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