Scottish painter Colin Fraser is a master of egg tempera, an ancient and demanding medium that he finds freeing. Dry pigment mixed with egg yolk is fast drying. Once a linear brush stroke is laid down, it can’t be changed. He says, “Tempera is so rigid you can’t improvise with it. There’s a set method and you have to accept it. But this rigidity frees you up to accept the marks you make without trying to alter them.”
Estuary, egg tempera on panel, 43¼ x 59"
The individual, translucent brush strokes lay side by side and atop one another, melding into images of soft flowers and fabrics as well as the textured surfaces of tables and glistening reflections. The luminescent qualities of the medium and Fraser’s skill fill the paintings with light that appears to emanate from within.
Fraser has a collection of objects that appear and reappear in his paintings, almost like old friends. He paints objects and places that mean something to him. Freed of the need to manipulate his medium into a photorealistic image of his subject, he can allow his own emotional response to become part of the painting, infusing it with a life that stimulates a response in the viewer.
Falls, egg tempera on panel, 31½ x 221/8"
In Ewer, peony buds and blossoms are gathered in a tall pottery vessel with an uneven, mottled green glaze. The form and color of the buds are echoed in the cherries gathered in a small bowl. The green glaze is echoed in a lime and an artichoke. The play of colors is entertaining in itself but is secondary to the play of strong raking light pouring in from the left side of the composition, breaking up among the blossoms and petals and dissolving into shadow on the right. The whole setting is within an atmosphere of blackness that allows the light to dominate.
Rotterdam, egg tempera on panel, 317/16 x 48"
In his painting Estuary, an aqua pot of cut roses sit on a well-used bistro chair in front of an open window with billowing curtains and a view of the Swedish landscape, where he lives. The chair appears again in Falls, on the verge of light and dark with a diaphanous shawl draped over its back and cut peony blossoms resting temporarily on its seat.
Reds, egg tempera on panel, 315/8 x 30¾"
Over 25 of his most recent egg tempera on panel paintings will be shown in the exhibition Celebrating Sublime Moments, at Principle Gallery from June 2 through 30. —
Principle Gallery 125 Meeting Street • Charleston, SC 29401 • (843) 727-4500 • www.priniciplegallery.com
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