Tulip Full Bloom Painting

My studio is based in New England in the U.S. where I'm close to nature and my main sources of inspiration - fruits, vegetables and landscapes. Having avoided the art movements of pop art, abstract expressionism, surreal and the equivalent of muzak art of today - I paint what I love and I love to paint! As a representational painter painting in both egg tempera and oil I find many people know very little about the medium of egg tempera. It's another medium that, like oil, watercolor, gouache, etc., uses the very same pigments. The only difference is the binder which is egg yolk instead of oil, gum arabic, casein, etc. It is organic (except for certain pigments) and as durable, maybe more so, as oil, and cures to a very solid surface. Therefore, a true egg tempera is painted on a solid surface rather than canvas so that the yolk mixture does not crack. Oils craze and crack with age, but not egg tempera! Contrary to myths, egg tempera does not smell like eggs, does not attract insects and the yellow carotene in the yolk oxidizes almost immediately when the paint is applied. I'm happy to discuss the medium with you should you have any questions or interest in my work. Whether painting in egg tempera or oil, I look for the iridescence and jewel-like qualities in my 'models'. While I like to push against the precision often needed for egg tempera painting, I also like the spontaneity of oil. I also play the piano, the cello and do a fair amount of gardening which you'll often see in many of my paintings.