Materials

When I started to paint in oil I knew nothing about the material. I bought tubes with oil paint in colours of which I felt I should have. I bought hog's hair brushes of several measures. Turpentine to thin the paint to clean brushes. In the beginning I used canvas that I bought ready made. The painting could start now. I had no book about using the material.

Full of dedication I started to copy the old masters of the 17the century. A lot of paintings were made like "Diana Watched by the elder" (Rembrandt), the abduction of the daughters of leucippus" (Rubens), "the downfall of de rebellious angels" (Rubens), "Rubens sitting with his wife Isabella Brand in front of a bush of honeysuckle" (Rubens), "a portrait of a woman" (C. Verspronck) and so on.

Inordinately proud of the things I made and stimulated by my family and neighbours I noticed that I didn’t know enough. At an advice of a locale painter of art I bought the book "Max Doerner painting" about the use of material to paint. I was totally amazed. After this book I gathered everything I could get about painting material. The craft painting in the time of Rembrandt and his techniques gave me a new impulse. The mere tough of mastic-resin, Venetians turpentine, linseed oil and turpentine gave me an extra kick. The pigments with the possibility to be transparent or not depending on the colours made it for me still more interesting. I could paint in layers where under laying layers shine through. To glaze became for me a notion.It's a matter of course that you can paint more precise with matter-hair brushes than with hog's-hair brushes.

In the book of Max Doerner are also descriptions of several undergrounds like canvas, cotton, copper, stone, wood and so on. Wood is dangerous because of woodworm and the fact that wood works. Still I have chosen for wood like masonite. The panel I stain I enclose it with resin on the backside. At this moment I make my signature or monogram on the backside. On the front side I use several groundlayers. Than the under drawing is made. After that I start to paint. The first layers are very lean. The next layers are more greasier to prevent the paint to burst.

The medium I paint with contents a part of mastic-resin, a part of Venetian turpentine and linseed oil. I don't use drying material (siccatives) because of the possibility of darkening. Also is there a danger of a pseudo-dry painting that causes craquele. A handicap is that I have to wait until I can paint the next layer. Because of the fact that I don't have to make production the drying times are not very frustrating.

The reason I use natural products:

1. I have a strong hang on craftmanswork;
2. The material has proven in several painting of the 17the century to be perfect. The quality is still perfect and the paintings are still looking good.
3. The philosophy all around nature and men. Must men destroy nature by the using of synthetic material or must men use the products nature offers us and that have proven their services. And last but not least;
4. To paint with as much possible of sense-organs. The smell of resins and turpentine, working up these materials and well preserved effect of the colours.

So far I painted with natural resins as told before untill the moment I became allergic for white spitit and terpentine!!!!! By daily breathing the air of these two elements without good ventilation of my sudio I’ve got pain in the chest, heartburn and urticaria bulosa, in short, a disaster for me. After looking for solutions and trying I found a good alternative without leaving my way of painting (in glacislayers). From mastic-resin ( Solvable in Terpentine) I tried alkyd-resin (Solvable in White spirit) then Acrylic-resin (Solvable in water and alcohol) To be conductive tot the transparency of the pigments I use a glazing-medium that also slow down the drying of te paint. So, the paintings after 2006 are painted with acrylic paint.