Service Description

RACHEL’S FLOWERS Rachel Ruysch and the Dutch Golden Age Inspired by Dutch flower paintings and the work of Rachel Ruysch, paint a flower composition on copper. During this class, students will focus on a small piece, aiming to create a carefully considered and beautiful image while coming to understand their materials. Rachel Ruysch painted until her 80s, was a successful artist and had 10 children - over 300 years ago! Read Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist to soak up the atmosphere. Although painting oil on a copper panel is less familiar to us than wood or canvas, the use of metal is an ancient practice and was done throughout the Renaissance. The German monk Theophilus wrote in the 12th century about painting on tin leaf and Cennini described painting on gold. Because of the rigid and non-absorbent nature of copper, these paintings long lasting with brilliantly preserved jewel-like colours. Vasari praised silver, copper, tin and other metals as well as stone and marble since oils do not ‘sink in’ to its surface (as they do on canvas and, to a lesser extent, wood) with the added benefit of being impervious to worms! UPCOMING Coming up are mushrooms, animals, little houses, peas in a pod, cave paintings, teapots, deserts, stars, stairs, galaxies and nebulas, hot springs, the moon, the sun, islands, mome raths, extinct Pre-Cambrian and Mesozoic landscapes, birds, doors, forest floors, enchanted seas, a materials library subsection including wood, glass, rocks, bread… MATERIALS LIST For full materials list, see here: https://www.miniaturepaintingforum.com/forum/resources/oil-on-copper-materials-list New students will be emailed a preparatory list in advance. Copper is available here: https://www.theperfectbrush.co.uk/shop