U OUGHT TO KNOW.Byline: Sembar Debessai Sylvana Barrett Profession: Artist with focus on medieval and early Renaissance techniques of Europe City: Woodland Hills. Where U've seen her before: At the Getty Museum leading the ``Art of Egg Tempera tempera (tĕm`pərə), painting method in which finely ground pigment is mixed with a solidifying base such as albumen, fig sap, or thin glue. Panel Painting'' course. Where U can see her now: Getty Museum and Huntington Museum art demonstrations and lectures. What U can see in her studio: A 17th-century still-life painting still-life painting Depiction of inanimate objects for the sake of their qualities of form, colour, texture, composition, and sometimes allegorical or symbolical significance. Still lifes were painted in ancient Greece and Rome. . A bug's life: Amid the neutrality of Barrett's home, you will find shelves of small, colorful jarred powdered pigments. Used for egg tempera painting tempera painting Painting executed with ground pigment mixed with a water-soluble material, such as egg yolk, gum, or wax. The special ground for tempera painting is a rigid wood panel coated with thin layers of gesso, a preparation usually made of plaster of Paris and glue. , the source of the colors includes mineral, plant and insect pigments. One particularly vibrant purple powder that Barrett holds up came from the vein of a snail snail, name commonly used for a gastropod mollusk with a shell. Included in the thousands of species are terrestrial, freshwater, and marine forms. Some eat both plant and animal matter; others eat only one type of food. . Who knew? I'll have the egg tempera: Although it sounds like a menu item at your local Japanese restaurant (that's ``tempura''), egg tempera is a traditional form of painting that Barrett typically employs. The egg yolk yolk (yok) the stored nutrient of an oocyte or ovum. yolk n. The portion of the egg of an animal that consists of protein and fat from which the early embryo gets its main nourishment and of binds color pigment, creating a ``soft, clean, luminous'' effect not seen so much today and replaced with modern paints. ``People think that paint comes in many different colors ... (but) it also has different textures (with tempera),'' Barrett explains. Artist around town: With no Web site or e-mail, Barrett still manages to maintain a steady following in her work and teachings. ``Most people know my work (with tempera) ... and some people just find me,'' says Barrett, who teaches classes and lectures regularly at both the Getty Museum and Huntington Library. Marilyn Chraszch took her first class with Barrett on ``Illumination.'' ``Anything she teaches, I would just go for it.'' Always the student ...: After 10 year teaching in Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. , and 25 years in her particular area of painting expertise, Barrett continues to find herself in the role of student. ``Big museums like the Getty release conservation research ... it stays interesting because (they're) discovering new things (about how an artist created the work).'' Armed with new knowledge, Barrett continues to expand her artistic abilities by incorporating the techniques uncovered by research in her own works. ... And still: After her latest workshop at the Getty is completed, Barrett plans to teach a class on her new passion in the old techniques of European art. ``Silverpoint silverpoint, method of drawing whereby a silver-tipped instrument is dragged across paper prepared with ground bone dust and gum water and then tinted with a pigment. The procedure results in drawings of extraordinary delicacy. , from the Renaissance and before,'' Barrett shares, holding up the beginnings of a piece inspired by her latest endeavor. With only a wire-tipped metal tool, parchment paper See Papyrine. See Papyrine. See also: Paper Parchment , a light touch and a lot of patience, Barrett is able to create a beautiful image similar to a pencil drawing pencil drawing Drawing executed with a pencil, an instrument made of graphite enclosed in a wood casing. Though graphite was mined in the 16th century, its use by artists is not known before the 17th century. , but with color and precision that cannot be achieved with the smudging smudging (smuˑ·jing), n in Native American medicine, the ritual of purifying the location, patient, healer, helpers and ritual objects by using the smoke obtained by burning sacred tendencies of graphite or lead. So get over your commitment issues -- this form is non-erasable. (Other known metals used are copper, lead, brass and gold.) Redoing Renaissance: But don't get her wrong, Barrett insists her love for the era is its beauty, and she desires to share it with others. ``I don't want to be a (17th-century) European artist ... my goal is to enrich (modern) art.'' Good news for us modern-day aspiring artists, even if only for a few hours in Studio A of a museum basement. Where U can get see more: Catch other tempera works at the Getty's ``Icons From Sinai'' exhibit through March 4. Semhar Debessai, (818) 713-3665 semhar.debessai@dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Sylvana Barrett |
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