Formulas for Painters by Robert MasseyISBN: 0823018776
Publication Date: 1988-12-01
200 formulas for making paints, glazes, mediums, varnishes, grounds, fixatives, sizes, and adhesives for tempera, oil, acrylic, gouache, pastel, encaustic, fresco, and other painting techniques. Here is a unique reference book which every serious painter will find indispensable. Formulas for Painters gathers for the first time in a single volume over 200 recipes for making sizes, grounds, mediums, glazes, varnishes, fixatives, and adhesives. These recipes--some dating as far back as the Renaissance--have been tested by artists through the ages and retested by the author under controlled laboratory conditions. There are forty-two recipes for paints alone, ranging from ancient encaustic and tempera to modern acrylic and silica resins, dozens of mediums for every purpose, and a score of grounds for canvas, panels, and fresco. Each formula is presented in a uniform format which explains the purpose of the material being made, specifies precise ingredients, and gives clear directions for manufacture and use. For quick reference, all the formulas are numbered and frequently cross-referenced. Formulas for Painters also contains a section of notes on studio equipment; substitutes for hard-to-find materials; a fund of practical tips and miscellaneous information; and useful tables of drying times, solvents, melting points--making this comprehensive, compact handbook an invaluable source of reference for painters in all media. Robert Massey is Professor Emeritus of Fine Arts at the University of Texas at El Paso, as well as a distinguished lecturer, painter, draftsman, mosaicist, sculptor, and printmaker who has exhibited widely and won numerous awards throughout the United States. A native Texan, Massey received a B.A. from Oklahoma State University, where he studied with Doel Reed; an M.FA. from Syracuse University; and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas. He has taught at Oklahoma State University, the University of Michigan, Florida State University, and Syracuse University. Since 1953, he has been a member of the faculty of the University of Texas at El Paso, where he conceived, researched, and wrote Formulas for Painters. Robert Massey's works are in the permanent collections of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, El Paso Museum of Art, Oklahoma State University, and the Syracuse Museum. The author, an active member of both the National Society of Arts and Letters and the Texas Fine Arts Association, is listed in Who's Who in American Art.