Michael Skalka
Proper Art Material Labeling Issues
Summary: Art Material Labeling Issues -Most artists are careful about the art materials they purchase, especially when it comes to the...
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THE SYNTAX OF COLOR
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Michael Skalka
Jan 206 min read
Cave Dust and Gold – Realgar and Orpiment
Summary: Old pigments contain a glimpse into the history of what was mined or harvested materials, the chemical makeup of these...
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Michael Skalka
Sep 12, 20234 min read
The Spoils of Our Labors - Indanthrone Blue
Summary: The Spoils of Our Labors - Indanthrone Blue explores the discovery of pigment manufacturers have used to add a blue hue to a...
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Michael Skalka
May 29, 20236 min read
Color Name Confusion
Summary: Were the names that art materials manufacturers invented for paints a well-thought idea or a blend of romantic, historical, and...
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Michael Skalka
May 15, 20236 min read
Pyrrole Red, The Allure of Rosso Corsa
Summary: Pyrrole Red is one of a number of pigments that were accidentally discovered. In this essay, take a trip from East Lansing,...
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Michael Skalka
Mar 2, 20234 min read
Roses are Red, Violets are VIOLET
Summary: Documents describing the origin of a pigment can consume multiple pages of explanatory facts or be stated in merely one...
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Michael Skalka
Feb 17, 20234 min read
Divine Aniline, Won’t You Be Mine
Summary: The invention of mauve by William Henry Perkins in 1856 from coal tar initiated the study of aniline chemistry. A wide variety...
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Michael Skalka
Aug 4, 20225 min read
Titanium White
Summary: A very recent news article caught my attention regarding a ban on the use of titanium dioxide white in food products within the...
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Michael Skalka
Jun 21, 20224 min read
Materials Marketing Mishaps
Summary: Costly and elaborate advertising materials for artists’ materials have become a rarity. Specifically, hand-painted color charts...
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Michael Skalka
May 25, 20223 min read
The Pastel Standard
Summary: So many activities with so little time. However, I am pleased to announce that the article I wrote for the Pastel Journal –...
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Michael Skalka
Apr 23, 20224 min read
Mind the Gap
Summary: The art materials industry provides a wealth of color choices, but sometimes a gap is found in if a 12-step color wheel is used...
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Michael Skalka
Jan 29, 20224 min read
It Sure Doesn’t Look Like Tomato Juice!
Summary: It is time once again to dive into the realm of common household foods as they apply, or in this case, should not be applied to...
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Michael Skalka
Jan 23, 20225 min read
Let's Raise a Glass to Naphthol Red
Summary: An unusual relationship exists between the brewing industry and the invention of a host of synthetic organic pigments in the azo...
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Michael Skalka
Jan 14, 20225 min read
Testing the Test?
Summary: The ASTM subcommittee D01.57 creates standards that manufacturers may follow to assure their products are light fast, indicate...
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Michael Skalka
Dec 18, 20214 min read
Painting and Music
It is likely that many of you have a wide number of art forms that you appreciate. My interests in music, especially technical, music...
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Michael Skalka
Nov 11, 20214 min read
Are We All Using the Same Yardstick?
The focus of this essay is on an apparent lack of consistency that has been going on for decades. ASTM (The American Society for Testing...
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Michael Skalka
Nov 4, 20214 min read
"We May Never Pass This Way (Again""
Perhaps the reason I gravitate so strongly towards researching art materials and related items is that they have a long history. For me,...
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Michael Skalka
Oct 22, 20213 min read
How Can I Be Sure?
How can I be sure, in a world that's constantly changing? (Young Rascals “How Can I Be Sure” 1967) We place a tremendous amount of trust...
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Michael Skalka
Oct 7, 20213 min read
Should Odorless Mineral Spirits Be Scented?
I have been grappling with this question for many years. This issue has a number of technical components that make it hard to explain...
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Michael Skalka
Sep 16, 20213 min read
Permanent Green Light
Let’s explore another of what art material manufacturers sometimes refer to as “convenience colors.” This means a color that can be mixed...
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