Art Sunday; Phil Schirmer

PHIL SCHIRMER


If you wonder what technical perfection looks like, it looks like this. This man is the undisputed expert in the egg tempra method. There are very few artists who use this method, probably because it’s difficult and time consuming. He is a self taught expert whose work speak for themselves.
 

His actual subject matter is varied; he is so versatile that every one can find something they like among his works.  I like the sea scenes, especially the beach pebbles that glisten with the sea, but I also like the portraits, but that’s because I always favour the figurative work.
 

Info on egg tempra here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempera
His web site is great, well worth a visit, so much to see there.
http://www.philschirmer.com/biography.html
This is what the artist has to say about himself.
‘’I graduated from college with a degree in English Literature and then spent ten years working cash registers, pasting up advertisements for newspapers, and even, for a short spell, making miniature carousels. In my mid-thirties I was still scanning help wanted ads.
Someone suggested I try to make a living as an artist. I went out and bought some books and taught myself egg tempera, a medium that takes a minimum of 3 lifetimes to master.
Twenty years later, I have accepted the fact that my life is, and always will be, out of control.’’

I love his seaside scenes