Egg Tempera Painting

Egg tempera is a form of paint that is created by mixing egg yolk with powdered pigments and a little water. That’s it. It’s a painting medium that dates back to the first century A.D.

I began exploring egg tempera because I wanted to get away from using toxic materials. I initially began as a printmaker and was constantly working with acids and solvents. I loved the thought of buying my art materials in a grocery store and everything was natural.

Then I fell in love with the glowing quality of egg tempera.  Tempera is beautifully translucent and holds less pigment, which allows light to penetrate through it and reflect off the white surface of the gesso below. The it allows colors to be very pure and bright.