Summer, 1978, Nils  # 23.  Egg tempera on panel after a photograph from National Geographic Magazine September 1977.  5 1/4" x 9 1/4" ( 13.5 cm x 23.5 cm)

Egg tempera:  What is it?

Painting with eggs is an old, time worn and beautifully precise technique.  Panel paintings from the early Renaissance were done in egg tempera.  American painter Andrew Wyeth used egg tempera to heighten his realism.  The illuminated manuscripts of the middle ages were often created using egg tempera.

Inexpensive, easy to hand, but most of all very beautiful, egg tempera easily becomes a medium for devotees.  Brush strokes need to be quick and decisive, as the egg dries quickly  Thin layers can be built over time to create rich, resonant surfaces.