One DVD that I find myself watching again and again is Girl with a Pearl Earring. The incredible artwork of Johannes Vermeer, the historical setting (Delft, Holland, 1665), and the sensitive performance of Scarlett Johansson make this film adaptation of a best-selling novel a winner for me. I especially enjoy the scenic shifts in color dominance from yellow to blue to scarlett. . . red making a perfect backdrop for the envious green of the wife's gowns! What brought Vermeer to mind this morning was Robert Genn's newsletter about glazing techniques. I tend to do a lot of glazing in my abstract acrylic paintings, and lately I have applied his technique to some of my collage work as well. The Atomist Confronts the Infinite Void is an example. I was interested to learn Genn's formula for his thin acrylic glazes: 5% pigment, 45% acrylic medium (gloss or matte) and 50% percent water. So far mine have consisted only of pigment and medium and, especially with the heat on, I have learned to work fast to avoid the clumpy mess that results from over-brushing. Vermeer was a master of the glazing technique.
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