Home - Michael Price Paintings with gold leaf and mineral pigments

Figurative artist, Michael Price

creates paintings with gold leaf and mineral pigments from rocks and crystals.

His art redefines the Renaissance tradition.

Natural Mineral Pigments

Michael Price’s published research documents the use of rocks, crystals and natural earths as tempera and resin-oil paint.

Works on Paper

Drawing the figure or nude is not about representation per se, but allows perception and imagination to create their own memorable event.

Venus Enters the Mayan World, silver point, red and bleck chalk, ink, gessoed paper — Venus Enters the Mayan World. 57 x 75.8 cm - 22.5 x 29.8 ins.

Paintings

The chromatic figures and nudes explore an archetypal world where the real and imaginary fuse to create their own parallel universe.

Resurrection Adventures No.8, Pandora's Plight at Prometheus Bound. 138.8 x 130 cm - 54.6 x 51.2 ins.

Mineral Pigments and the Renaissance Tradition

At the beginning of the 1990’s, Michael Price began to experiment with natural pigments. Within a decade, he developed a new protocol to produce natural ultramarine from lapis lazuli replacing Cennino Ceninni’s method from 1395. Price’s palette now includes sparkling pigments from azurite, malachite, cinnabar, stibnite to pyrolusite – some of the many colours which are unknown to the contemporary artist working with tube paint, whether oil, or acrylic.

Click on images to enlarge.

Chichén Itzá No. 4, Eve's Mayan Adventure, Gold leaf, mineral pigments in casein distemper, cinnabar, malachite, stibnite, azurite. — Chichén Itzá No. 4, Eve's Mayan Adventure. 23 x 30.5 cm - 9.25 x 12 ins. Gold leaf, mineral pigments in casein distemper on rag paper. Private Collection.

Azurite rocks, crystals and prepared pigment.

Jasper malachite — Top row - green jasper below - high quality malachite second grade malachite.

Chroma-Scape No. 7, Mont St. Victoire Floats Dream-like natural mineral pigments, rocks, crystals, gold leaf, white gold, lapis lazuli — Chroma-Scape No. 7, Mont St. Victoire Floats Dream-like. 75 x 106 cm - 29.5 x 41.7 ins.

High quality crystals of lapis lazuli and pieces of rock.

High quality lapis lazuli pigment after removal of impurities.

Resurrection Adventures No. 9, Rape of the Innocent Medusa. 150 x 123 cm - 59 x 48.5 ins.

Cinnabar pigment with different particle sizes from dark red to orange-red.

A selection of paintings with gold leaf, natural and mineral pigments in pine resin and oil on linen and panel. Click on any image to enlarge.

“Cherry Blossom 1, Persephony returns each Spring”, is by New York figurative artist Michael Price. He has researched the use of natural and mineral pigments over the past thirty years. This painting was inspired by the cherry blossom during the spring in New York City. The natural color in this painting on canvas on a wooden panel includes lapis lazuli, azurite, cinnabar and a natural lead white, cerussite. As with the Japanese Nihonga paintings with cherry blossom, this work includes gold leaf.

Evolution of a Myth No. 9, Carousel: Time to Change the Gods, mineral pigments, devil, Christ, Salome, Saint Michael, mineral pigments

A Dream Floating Alone. Natural mineral pigments in fir balsam resin and oil on linen on panel. Azurite, brown earth, lead-tin yellow, powdered quartz.

Wisdom and the Vulnerability of Vanity. Gold leaf, white gold, natural mineral pigments, lapis lazuli, malachite, cinnabar

Chroma-Scape No.2, Provençal Patterns, Natural mineral pigments and gold leaf, rocks, crystals, cinnabar, Malachite, fuchsite, green jasper, Renaissance technique, casein, resin, oil paint

Chroma-Scape No. 5, Golden Provençal Tree, gold leaf, natural mineral pigments in resin and oil on linen on panel

Chroma-Scape No. 6, Dancing Olive Trees, gold leaf, white gold, natural mineral pigments. dancing olive trees.

Chroma-Scape No. 1, Provençal Tree Family, mineral pigments, gold leaf, white gold leaf, lapis lazuli, malachite, thulite, Roussillon brown ochre, stibnite

Surprise for a Mayan Deity, Gold leaf, mineral pigments in casein distemper on rag paper.

Mayan Fantasies No. 2, Mayan Atlas Holds up the Heavens, gold leaf, natural and mineral pigments from rocks and crystals, lapis lazuli, cavansite, malachite, cinnabar in resin and oil on linen on panel.

Mayan Fantasies No. 1, Centuries of Starry Nights over Chichén Itzá, gold leaf and white gold, mineral pigments in resin and oils on linen on panels, lapis lazuli, cinnabar, malachite and yellow jasper.

Homage to the Alhambra No. 10, Keeping still, achieving a quiet heart.

Works on paper: pencil, ink, gold leaf and mineral pigments in casein distemper. Click on any image to enlarge.

The Balancing One. Bistre ink and wash on arches paper.

The Moon-Worshipping One. Bistre ink, wash, cinnabar and gold leaf (24 carat) on Fabriano paper.

The Barberini Faun. 2009. Bistre ink, wash, cinnabar and gold leaf (24 carat) on Fabriano paper.

Parsifal. Bistre ink, wash, cinnabar and gold leaf on Fabriano paper.

Guardian. Bistre ink, wash, cinnabar and gold leaf (24 carat) on Fabriano paper.

Study for the Rape of Medusa with Poisedon further examines the Greek myth. This work on paper is with bistre ink.

Andromeda., Natural and mineral pigments in casein distemper on arches paper on stretched linen.

The Hare, Unicorn, maiden, Chains, Michael Price, figurative artist, New York artist, natural mineral pigments, natural color, colour, lapis lazuli, azurite, malachite, cinnabar, realgar, natural dyes, archetypal nude, archetype, Renaissance, palette

Chichén Itzá No. 3, Natural mineral pigments on arches paper, azurite, cinnabar, malachite, calcite and Roussillion ochre in casein and rabbit-skin glue on arches paper.

Chichén Itzá No. 1, Mayan Pyramid, Study on arches paper with natural mineral pigments in casein distemper.

Gestures No. 7, Chinese ink and wash on paper.

Gestures No. 6, Chinese ink and wash on paper.

Gestures No. 5, Chinese ink and wash on paper.

Instagram — artmprice51

RENAISSANCE MYSTERIES

The two volumes, Natural Colour and Proportion and Composition are an in-depth examination of a lost painting tradition in the west due to industrialization during the nineteenth century. Pigments such as azurite and lapis lazuli were replaced with the synthetic pigments cobalt blue and French ultramarine.

https://renaissancemysteries.com