Friends of the Zither
and the Psaltery
Updated 02/20/2023
Brigitte's natural paintings
Brigitte shares with us with clarity and simplicity her path, brush in hand
Presentation of the craftsman(1) painter
I am originally from Morbihan but I also have Burgundian roots. I have lived in the Gulf of Morbihan for around fifteen years.
In my research in painting I was quickly attracted by ancient techniques which use natural materials and binders. As these techniques are no longer taught in art schools, I sought training in the form of internships.
In this context, I was introduced to the technique of icon writing at the Saint Martin de Mondaye Abbey located in Calvados by Odile EVRARD, former student of Father DROBOT, Russian Master iconographer, as well as to the technique of the fresco by Jean-Jacques JOLINON, fresco artist, at Les Passeurs de Fresques who provide their training in Troyes in Aube.
It was during a retreat at the Benedictine Abbey of Sainte-Marie de la PierreQui-Vire located in Yonne that I discovered painting on burlap with hide glue.
This technique was used by the painter monks of this abbey, notably Dom Angelico SURCHAMP (initiator of the Zodiaque editions) and Brother Yves in the years after the war.
I work on burlap(2) heavy-weight raw material that I stretch either on a frame or on bamboo bars.
The pictorial material is composed of natural pigments(3) such as earths and ochres(4) mixed with a binder consisting of rabbit skin glue(5) cooked then diluted with water.
The pictorial material is applied hot to the canvas. In some cases the binder used is egg yolk mixed with water and vinegar according to the technique of the icon.
New paragraph
“Rapha-El or God heals”
“I was sent to test your faith and God sent me at the same time to heal you.” Book of Tobit 12, 12-15.
Raw burlap – Earths (natural pigments)
skin glue - egg. (100 x 100) -
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My goal would be to achieve a simple and sober painting, made of flat areas of color and not tempered by artifice of touches; a calm painting that leads to naked and silent contemplation….. The ultimate goal being: to paint “The Sound of Subtle Silence” (Kings I, 19-12). I had my first exhibition at the Chapelle d'Arradon (place where I live) during the summer of 2019.
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(1) Artisan – painter: manual profession of a traditional nature in which the work of the material takes precedence. “Humility of the craftsman who must bend to the material”: quote from Dom Angelico SURCHAMP, painter monk from the Sainte Marie de la Pierre Qui Vire abbey.
(2) Jute: coming from the bark of the trunk of the white jute (Corchorus capsularis) herbaceous plant of approximately 3 to 4 m in height cultivated in tropical environments (mainly in India and Bangladesh). The fiber is extracted by retting (soaking in water) then the fibers are hung in the open air for natural drying. It is an artisanal culture that respects the environment as it requires few inputs. Jute fiber is called “gold fiber” because of its golden reflections.
(3) These pigments extracted from the ground having been naturally oxidized in their natural environment present remarkable stability over time unlike synthetic pigments which can modify by oxidizing in contact with air or inter-react with each other. Thus, paintings made by the monks of La Pierre qui Vire more than 70 years ago using this technique have retained their vibrant colors.
(4) Except for blues which no longer exist in natural pigments. I use 2 synthetic blues: ultramarine blue and coeruleum blue which is a cobalt blue (but which is unfortunately only a pale copy of the wonderful Chartres blue).
(5) Rabbit skin glue: natural binder used since very ancient times (probably since man painted). Raw glue from rabbit skin comes in the form of granules. After soaking in water for 24 hours, the glue is cooked in a bain-marie at a maximum temperature of 60°C. As it cools, it solidifies and appears in a gel state (natural glues are thixotropic, meaning they solidify as they cool and liquefy as they heat). The glue is always used hot.
“The inner child”
The canvas is placed behind a stainless steel sculpture “Les Noces” by Philippe Le RAY, they resonate: the Light illuminates the interior energies under the gaze of God.
Raw burlap – pigments – hide glue. (100 x 100)
“Jesus passed through your day,
haven't you seen it? »
The circle and by extension the corb symbolize the divine. Our earthly lives symbolized by the square are more or less dark or luminous, but all take root in the divine. They are represented in a variation of natural earths in reference to the man of the 7th day of Genesis modeled in clay and doomed to return to the state of clay.
Raw burlap – Earths (natural pigments) – hide glue. (112 x 80)
“Christ the Savior”
“Since he clings to me I deliver him; I defend him because he knows my name. He calls me and I answer him; I am with him in his ordeal. I want to free him, glorify him; many days I will satisfy him, and I will make him see my salvation.” Ps 90
Raw burlap – Earths (natural pigments) – hide glue – egg – (88 x 85)
Ave Maris Stella
Mary embraces the world. Or in the arms of Mary
Raw burlap – Earths (natural pigments) – hide glue. (Diptych 2 x 120 x 100)
L'Eau Vive Raw burlap
“Whoever drinks the water that I give him will never thirst again; and the water that I give him will become in him a source of water springing up to eternal life.” “Lord, give me this water so that I will not thirst.” Jn 4:13-15.
Earths (natural pigments) – skin glue. (Tryptych 3 x 100 x 100)
We share with you that Bridget joined her Lord on October 17, 2023