Michael Skalka
International Klein Blue
Summary: Yves Klein Blue is a fascinating art concept, making the detective work to fully understand it both intriguing and frustrating....
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THE SYNTAX OF COLOR
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Michael Skalka
Feb 76 min read
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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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
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
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
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
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
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 26, 20213 min read
Frankly My Dear, I Don’t Give a Lake!
I heard an “interesting” story years ago on the origin of lake pigments. A person who felt he was a leading expert on pigments, told a...
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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 15, 20214 min read
The Color of EVERYTHING!
The importance of this primary color mixing system to achieve a matched color compared to a sample is that an objective, numerical value...
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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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Michael Skalka
Jul 8, 20213 min read
I Did Not Chop Down the Cherry Tree
The Global Marketplace: My old, worn out pun is that, “colors available in the pigment world are largely ‘driven’ by the automobile...
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Michael Skalka
Jun 22, 20215 min read
Henry Levison: A Debt of Gratitude
Depending on a person’s age, the art materials manufacturer, Permanent Pigments, may or may not be recognized. Even more senior artists...
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Michael Skalka
May 22, 20212 min read
Let Every Voice Be Heard
Why do artists avoid being aggressive consumers? I have asked that question both to my friends who are artists in my “civilian” role and...
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Michael Skalka
May 11, 20214 min read
The Competition to Make Artificial Ultramarine Blue
Ecole Polytechnique vs. The University of Tubingen. Scholastic rivalries have interesting histories. Each year both school athletic teams...
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