Nathan Allard | Art

Artist from Maine. Blog of my art - Paintings, pigments, and Polaroids. Instagram Facebook

[weepingwidar]

Isaac Levitan (Russian, 1860-1900) - Winter in the Forest (1885)

[artthatremindsmeofhannibalnbc]

Andrew Wyeth, Drifting, 1991 Tempera on panel

[nathanallardart]

My painting Cattails as a gif

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Handmade pigments from the Maine landscape sourced from earth, stone, and bone.

[madiguz]

That’s amazing! Where did you learn to make your own pigments? Or did you just teach yourself??🎨

[nathanallardart]

I read books about the Renaissance when it was common practice for the artists to make their own pigments and paint, and then experimented on my own from there.

[nathanallardart]

From a concept drawing, to a watercolor study, to the finished egg tempera painting. This finished painting was done with all handmade brushes and pigments - minus the synthetic ultramarine blue. "Makeshift" - egg tempera - 20 x 26 in - Nathan Allard

[nathanallardart]

From first sketch, to a watercolor, to a finished egg tempera painting. In egg tempera dry pigments are mixed with egg yolk to make a thin paint akin to watercolor, and then layers are slowly built up to form the image. Two close friends got married under this tree and I did this painting to commemorate their wedding. The black and dark browns are painted with a pigment I made out a piece of the tree by turning it into charcoal, and then grinding it to a fine powder in a mortar and pestle. "Wedding Tree" - egg tempera - 36 x 48 inches - Nathan Allard

[nathanallardart]

Handmade paintbrushes made from feather quills, bear, groundhog, and red squirrel fur, deer sinew and beeswax. Nature is full of natural materials that have been used by our ancestors for generations. In the quest for modernity, we have lost our heritage as humans.

[nathanallardart]

Self-transforming painting. From the original pencil sketch, to a watercolor study, to a finished egg tempera painting that is 3′ x 4′ wide. Two dear friends got married under this tree so I painted this to commemorate their wedding. The tree and other blacks are painted with charcoal that I made from a piece of the tree.

“Wedding Tree” - egg tempera on panel - Nathan Allard  

[ruinsoftheempire-deactivated202]

This is so cool

[nathanallardart]

Drift wood painted with the native color of the landscape

[stoneagefairy]

Luxurious Munsell Eyeshadow Palette for busy archaeologists who want to look modest but stylish, try now

[taulupis]

I made this palette based on the above colors, if anyone is interested!

[nathanallardart]

Handmade pigments from the Maine landscape sourced from earth, stone, and bone.

[andrewwyethartist]

“The Lighthouse” Robert Eggers film 2019 and “Snowy Morning” Andrew Wyeth painting 1947 

[dappledwithshadow]

Christina’s World, by Andrew Wyeth (1948).

[nathanallardart]

Happy Birthday, Andy!

[nathanallardart]

This painting "Returning" I painted with black pigment I made out of charred raven bones. The bones of the very same raven in the painting. Below is a mini documentary I made on the painting, and my approach to art.

[nathanallardart]

According to Japanese legend when brave warriors died in battle, they were reborn as "kabutogani" ( warrior helmet crabs). This one was found by a friend on Orr's Island, Maine. With all the incredible detail in the shell and barnacles covering it, I knew it had to be drawn. Kabutogani - graphite on paper.

[nathanallardart]

Pale violet from mussel shells. There is something beautiful about color when you know its origins - it was made in the ocean under the waves.

[tuparisweat]

sorry if this is preachy but

you probably shouldnt continue to work with muscle shells anymore. you should either seal or safely dispose of the pigment

muscle shells can contain heavy metals which, when you are grinding them down like this, it can lead to heavy metal poisoning. it is extremely serious. it can cause damage to your organs, nervous system, and can kill you.

a sculptor who contracted heavy metal poisoning after working with muscle shells

if you want to continue to grind down muscle shells (which i wouldn’t recommend) it is possible to take steps to work with them safely: this is about lead but pgs 6-9 have safety notes. the protective steps and equipment needed though is very intense.

[nathanallardart]

I appreciate your concern and care. I am aware of the potential dangers of working with shells as well as other potentially health damaging substances. I work with a few toxic paints that are lead, cobalt, and cadmium based, and I take appropriate caution like many other artists working with them. Her unfortunate heavy metal poisoning was due to much different conditions than I work with over a long period of time. She was inhaling shell dust for sometimes up to 12 hours a day over the course of a few years - she says her arms were coated in shell dust when working to give an idea of her exposure rate. This is a pigment that I obtain by wet grinding as much as possible, and then I mix it into water and a binder to be use as paint - both of those methods controll and eliminate dust exposure, and when dust containment isn't an an option, I grind pigments outside and with an N95.

[nathanallardart]

Natural pigment collection made from the Maine landscape.