2023: Discovering Grisaille Painting

Grisaille ( meaning greyness ) is a method traditionally used by the Old Master to achieve the correct tonal value of an image. I accidentally came across this method while researching Caravaggio and Ingres, how did they achieve that perfect light? The answer is Grisaille. The image is painted in greyscale and then colour glazes are applied over the top to achieve near perfection. I started to explore this in my own work, but, discovered I am really drawn to the pure, dynamic use of greyscale as space can be constructed through light and dark gestures which are then anchored by thin lines to lock in the space. Using different black pigments, like Mars Black, and Carbon Black I can achieve warm and cool shades of gray, which, when combined can help pull out the space. These paintings are based on Euston Road, City Road, and the Barbican Centre, London.