Contemporary Fresco Gazette

IDCEC has approved the course "True (Buon) Fresco: Introduction for Interior Designers" developed by Fresco School for CEU credit.

The Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC) has approved the course titled "True (Buon) Fresco: Introduction for Interior Designers" for Continuing Education credit.

This 1 hour and 15 minute course explains the meaning of true (buon) fresco and dispels misconceptions about this form of art. During the course the participants will learn about the 40-thousand year history of fresco and see famous fresco examples from different cultures. They will learn about fresco styles and have a clear understanding of fresco techniques. They will learn foundational differences between classic lime plasters, including fresco, and imitation techniques, such as modified acrylic based plaster imitations.

The 'Before and After'... In Reverse...

"We plastered and painted in true fresco every wall and ceiling in this house, years then decades, then centuries have passed and there were only a few frescoes left. We had to come back and plaster and paint again and again and again over the old ones and over the new that became old themselves. Now, centuries later, there are just a few left worn out in most places all the way down to the horse-haired, volcanic ash plaster."
A Malibu beach-front retreat built by art collector, designer and antiques dealer Richard Shapiro has "the look, age and aura of a very old, windswept structure from the Mediterranean or the Aegean."

All walls in the house are sheathed in frescoed plaster and partially covered by the Renaissance-style frescoes created by fresco artist iLia Anossov, founder of Fresco School in Los Angeles. iLia, one of very few artists in the world who can be considered masters of the art of fresco painting, has shared some of the inspiration and techniques he used while working on this project.

During 1971 early Los Angeles street artist Kent Twitchell painted his first realistic mural. He called it "Steve McQueen Monument" and
pictures of it began appearing in newspapers everywhere, a two-story cool blue phantom coming out of a house a few blocks west (12th Street and Union Avenue) of Downtown Los Angeles.

The fresco had been damaged over the winter by a leak in the roof. This was not the first time this particular corner of the mural had been repaired. I was told that someone did some work on it last year and could see that a different hand had worked on the painting.

My intentions were to leave intact as much of the original artist's work with the least amount of interference from myself. When called upon to paint, I did so with the idea of using the true fresco technique (lime plaster and pigments) followed by a secco fresco layer with the use of casein paints.

The corner images were covered with salt: a result of the water leak pushing out elements within the roofing material through the lime plaster. I was fortunate enough to connect with fresco artist at the Fresco School who provided a formula to disintegrate the salt and restore the lime plaster back to its original constitution. The formula originated from Italy and the restoration of frescoes in Florence that were damaged during the 1966 floods. This formula was also used on the cleaning of the Sistine Chapel.

Deterioration of fresco paintings results from the open, porous nature of their support (walls and ceilings of buildings or other carriers) and their interaction with the surrounding microclimates.

The porous mortar backing provides an easy route for the movement of dilute salt solutions. Salts contained in the building materials or the surrounding area can be readily transported to the plaster underlying the painting. Old leaky roof, clogged gutters or subterranean walls and/or semi-buried walls - anything that would cause water to soak and remain in the wall will eventually bring salts from adjasent areas into the plaster. The wall and fresco can get wet from the rains and not be affected as long as it is exposed to freely moving air that would dry it naturally.

Expansion in volume associated with crystallization of these salts disrupts the plaster-pigment adhesion and leads to disintegration of the surface. Such crystallization depends on the identity of the salts and the moisture content of masonry which is subject to seasonal variations in atmospheric humidity and the amount of rain.

Introducing Fresco Lath - Clay (brick) Lath, a product that combines innovation with tradition! "Fresco Lath," is the ideal base or foundation for small frescoes, mosaics or any job requiring a plaster base. Fresco Lath is a thin wire lath with clay heads at the cross points. The Fresco Lath comes pre-cut in 3' x 3' size (www.FrescoShop.com) and 15' x 3' rolls and is a true plaster carrier, meaning that its attributes far outweigh the modern metal lath and is revolutionary for many scopes of artistic application.

October 24 - 25, 10AM - 4PM. The "Wall As Canvas II" painting event to be held on the grounds of the Page Museum, 5801 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Join iLia Anossov (fresco) of The Fresco School as he paints frescoes on sections of The Wall Across Wilshire as part of the 20th Anniversary celebration of The Fall of the Berlin Wall Project. After a fresco demonstration by iLia, viewers themselves are encouraged to participate in painting frescoes on actual section of The Wall Across Wilshire. On November 8, wall segments will be joined to form "The Wall Across Wilshire." That evening, during a midnight ceremony, artists will topple the Wall as it is broadcast live on German television.

Since 1997 The Fresco School in Los Angeles, California has been the world's premiere institution for instruction in the "Mother of All Arts," the (buon) true fresco technique. Now the school is growing in even more new and exciting ways. "Our goal is to see fresco being painted in every town" - says iLia Anossov (fresco), founder of the Fresco School. To achieve this goal Fresco School is proud to announce diverse expansion with a new facility, private fresco class options and an in-depth DVD tutorial series. Classic fresco paintings, like those by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, are the oldest, and at the same time, the most endangered form of art. Learn the only pure "organic" method of painting - no solvents, glues or man-made materials are used. Paint with molten marble like the magnificent Renaissance masters. Discover the most permanent art form, one that lasts through the centuries or millennia!

Originally established in 1997, The Fresco School - www.FrescoSchool.org, dedicated to providing every facet imaginable for an authentic (Buon) True Fresco education, has constructed a full size, 8' x 16', four-coat Fresco Wall. Now students enrolled in Advanced Level Fresco Workshops and Programs can practice multiple Giornata Frescoes, Fresco removal methods, strappo or calicot as well as alternate techniques such as lime painting, distemper, Secco and Mezzo fresco methods all at one convenient location in the premiere arts district of downtown Los Angeles. The Fresco Wall supplies a chance to explore a medium that becomes part of a permanent structure. Fresco - the ultimate fusion of art and architecture.

LOOK Gallery is proudto announce its inaugural show, "THRILLER: The King of Pop Meets the King of Cool," an exhibition of works seen and unseen, small and large, by L.A.'s pre-eminent muralist, Kent Twitchell, April 2 to 24, 2009.

For the first the time ever, Twitchell will publicly show his Michael Jackson mural. Commissioned by the Hollywood Arts Council in a move to symbolize the neighborhood's cultural renaissance, this 80' tall mural was originally slated to be shown on the side of the Barker Bros. Building (now the El Capitan Theatre) on Hollywood Blvd. in 1993. This public debut of the work at LOOK Gallery will be accompanied by lightboxes containing photos from Jackson's original portrait sitting for the mural.

Work on stately home will save historic frescoes
Bury Free Press - Bury St. Edmunds,England,UK
By Jo Thewlis Emergency repair work to the roof at Ickworth House could save neo-classical frescoes which are peeling away due to damp in the walls. ...

The Arts Center - Exhibit 'Storylines' by JS Bird
Corvallis Gazette Times - Corvallis,OR,USA
... cave painting, Meso-American sculpture and architecture, Oceanic sculpture and early Renaissance fresco's are a few of his many sources of inspiration. ...
 

The eternal female: Worship of the mother goddess
Independent - London,England,UK
Frescoes at the palace of Thera, on the island of Santorini, 100km north of Crete, show women standing on balconies overseeing processions of young men who ...

The museum at the Ramona Bowl Amphitheater is a trove of photos, scripts, costumes and other mementos of past productions of "Ramona." The venue's signature outdoor play is an annual San Jacinto Valley tradition dating to 1923.

Tucked at the back of the museum is a little-known artistic treasure associated with a noted painter, Milford Zornes, who left his mark across the Inland area.

Looming above an organ dating to the late 1800s that was used in bygone productions of "Ramona" is a fresco depicting scenes from California's mission period and the story of how white settlers interacted with native Californians. In 1942, Zornes helped oversee the painting of the fresco.