Lynn Kot

Either old wood is used when available, or new wood straight from the saw mill. The wood is cleaned and left to dry thoroughly. The gesso, paints, varnish and wax are all handmade using the materials and pigments that the old masters had available to them in the 1700s and 1800s: Gypsum, rabbit hide glue, chalk, pinon pine sap, bees wax, gum binder and various pigments. Some pigments were imported like Prussian blue, indigo, brazilwood and cochineal. Other pigments were obtained locally like red and yellow ochres and oxides, cinnabar, and walnut hulls.

After drying, the wood is cut and carved to its final shape. The gesso is made using a double boiler, and applied to the wood. The water-based paints are then made using the various natural pigments, and the painting begins. After the paint has dried, the varnish is brushed on. The varnish is made from pinon pine sap balls hand picked from trees in northern Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. The sap is processed and strained several times using grain alcohol. The varnish imparts an aged yellow glow to the painting and enriches the colors. When the varnish has dried, typically about two weeks, the natural bees wax is buffed onto the painting as its final surface layer. This wax gives the painting a beautiful soft shine and feel.