TRUE FRESCO WORKSHOP
Update 22 April 2019:
The registration is closed
due to lack of registrants.
Have you ever dreamed of painting a true fresco??
To experience the feel of a paintbrush loaded with paint as it glides across the surface of fresh lime plaster?
Very little is needed to achieve this dream! Sign up for the True Fresco Workshop!
Location: Wesley Theological Seminary, 4500 Massachusetts Avenue NW, 20016 Washington D.C. (USA),
Housing possibilities: see the bottom of the page.
Workshop schedule:
Monday, June 17th � Friday, June 21st, 2019
Times: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM with one-hour lunch break
Workshop description:
This workshop, taught by Philip Davydov, is a practical and theory based introduction to the fresco painting technique. Hands-on activities will be complemented by lectures on theory and the history of fresco.As a participant in the workshop, you can expect to learn the following:
- - The history and theory of fresco painting technique through several slide presentations
- - Different types of lime plaster fillers
- - How to:
- - mix your own plaster
- - plaster a panel surface for your own fresco image
- - test the behaviors of different color pigments on the drying process of fresco plaster
- - make "cartoons"
- - paint 3 true fresco images:
1) an ornament 2) still being determined, likely a still life of fruit 3) 8th century icon detail
For each subject, expect to make a life-sized cartoon and paint it on a panel up to 14� x 14� size, using the "al fresco" painting technique.
Who should attend:
Students of all levels are welcome. Registration will open on February 1st, 2019.
Students will be accepted on a first-come first-served basis. For details regarding registrations, payments and other logistical enquiries, please visit the Luce Center for the Arts & Religion webpage: http://luceartsandreligion.org/2019-fresco-workshop/
Early Bird Rate (February 1st � March 15th): $600 Regular Rate (March 16th � May 1st): $640
Your payment covers tuition, the tools and materials, necessary for the class, and lunch (provided by the Art Center) for each day of the workshop.
Registration payments are non-refundable, unless the workshop is canceled due to lack of participation.
Space is limited! The workshop is limited to 10 participants with one instructor. Please note that your spot is not reserved until the deposit of $300 or the full amount is paid.
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The True Fresco Technique in simple words:The true fresco technique is also known as "buon bresco" or "affresco".
The true fresco technique is a process, performed over a thin layer of freshly applied lime-based plaster. The paint is absorbed almost immediately and feels literally like releasing a bird. 
Pigments in the true fresco technique are only mixed with water with no binder or glue and then painted on to the fresh plaster. In a number of hours the plaster reacts with the carbon dioxide from the air in a process called carbonization.
This chemical reaction fixes the pigment particles at the plaster's surface in a very thin protective crystalline mesh known as the lime crust. With the setting of the plaster the painting becomes an integral part of the wall, or whatever surface it has been painted on
The History
The earliest known examples of images done in the Buon Fresco method date at around 1500 BC and were found on the island of Crete in Greece. True fresco was widely used by ancient, medieval and rennaissaince aritsts in a great variety of styles and methods.
Unfortunately campus provided housing is unavailable for the workshop. We recommend looking into the housing rental service, AIRBNB as the best way to find something near the campus for a reasonable price, or booking a hotel room. Wesley Theological Seminary is approximately 1-mile from the red line metro station called Tenleytown � American University.
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Useful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresco
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_hydroxide
An article on Mostcraft with colorful illustrations: https://www.mostcraft.com/fresco-painting/
