Mischtechnik is a ‘mixed technique’ of egg tempera with oil glazes. An old masters method, modernised in the 20th century by Ernst Fuchs.

The mischtechnik is widely appreciated within the visionary art movement as a technique which lends itself perfectly to the depiction of spiritual realms, visions, and dreams. It is a great step-by-step inroad into the deep principles of oil painting.

For the past 17 years, Daniel has dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the study of mischtechnik and variants based in the Venetian 14th century. Initially self-taught, Daniel then sought instruction from the lineage of fantastic realism via Brigid Marlin, then Ernst Fuchs.

He is dedicated to dispensing this knowledge to his students open-handedly, to empower their own personal creativity, and in a collective way contributing to the rebirth of the ‘dreaming’ in the world.

We will in the 7 days cover this ground:

• Composition and the Alchemical Mandala (creation of sacred space in the canvas)
• Working from a toned ground
• Beginning an underpainting (principles of value, chiaroscuro, blocking)
• Making and using egg tempera and lead white for luminosity
• Moving into colour – glazing, and scumbling

Along the way, we will learn many essential fundamentals about archival methods – best practices in terms of materials and their use, based on the up to date knowledge derived from sharing within professional networks of the painting restoration and conservation communities.

Daniel’s teaching methods are highly regarded as being sensitive to individual needs as well as facilitating a group atmosphere of focus and fun. In his words:

“It is a group journey everyone embarks on together in which the tremendous collective intelligence of the group becomes available as a resource to draw from, for the energy to pass through many creative thresholds.”

The retreat will be a balance of “Techne” & “Psyche“. With Psyche, we will explore our intuitive creativity. We will develop this exploration through Techne – old masters methods of composition and oil painting with egg tempera, in a guided process suitable for people of all levels of artistic experience.

• An Introduction to the Process\\
• Introduction to oil paint and emulsion
• Introduction to Mediums
• Introduction to Pigments
• Co-creation * spontaneous and improvised visionary imagery
• Design and transfer onto panel- charcoal trace
• Design and India ink
• Optical Grisaille and Optical Colour Mixing
• Understanding values of light, dark, mid tone, ‘keying’ the values of the piece
• Hatching in egg tempera grassa
• Glazing and scumbling (velatura) in oils