Gillian Wolfe CBE, Director of Learning and Public Affairs at Dulwich Picture Gallery, introduces Philippa Abrahams, artist, conservator and teacher at Dulwich Picture Gallery.
Philippa Abrahams has been a freelance teaching artist at Dulwich Picture Gallery for almost twenty years and has a unique role on our teaching team of currently 38 talented artists.
Philippa is an artist and also a specialist in conservation and restoration. Very many years ago now she used this expert knowledge to devise an Art-Science ‘fusion’ programme showing how these two are inextricably linked.
Philippa marvellously demonstrates how pigment is made from organic and inorganic materials mixed with a sticky medium to turn it into paint. Her hands-on talks are legendary in the art studio at the Dulwich Picture Gallery.
On one table Philippa displays all manner of stones, rocks, earths and metals – some of these intriguing items in sealed jars have skull and crossbone symbols on them to indicate their toxic nature and these are stored in a locked cabinet!
One of the most beautiful stones is the rare and expensive lapis lazuli blue stone from Afghanistan. When ground into powder pigment it is the origin of the intense blue used in paintings of the Madonna’s clothes and is more costly than gold.
On another table Philippa displays origins of pigment from living organisms. These include seeds, flowers, resins, vegetables, insects, bark, shells and so on. She explains how mussels give us purple, roasted peach stones give black, oak galls give brown ink while rabbit skin glue was one of the essential sticky mediums needed to turn pigment into paint.
Anyone who has ever taken part in Philippa’s practical courses where participants make their own pigments will appreciate the patient effort once necessary for artists to obtain their signature colours.
Philippa also teaches courses on the fascinating techniques of the Old Masters, a learning curve indeed.
Philippa is giving a special artist’s lecture about her new book ‘Beneath the Surface’, (which she will be signing) at Dulwich Picture Gallery on Saturday 14th March, 2:30-3:30pm. For more about this event click here
Look out on Tues 10th march for more about the book.
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