Materials Lab Workshop: Color Alchemy—Pigments and DIY Paint
Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA
Join paintings conservator Kate Smith and research curator Francesca Bewer for a workshop focused on art and science. You’ll first experiment with a range of pigments from across the ages. You’ll also make your own paints, then compare how the same pigment behaves across different media and surfaces. Learn about the challenges and rewards of re-creating historical paint recipes and the chemical processes behind “lake pigments” like carmine. Then, looking closely at a selection of artworks in the collections, you’ll discover how scientific imaging helps identify materials the artist used; how aging processes shape the appearance of paintings over time; and how museums respond to these changes. You’ll leave with your own test charts, a set of observations about color’s many transformations, and ideas for at‑home experiments. This workshop is one of four offered this fall that explore different media through the lens of art and science. Take one or take them all! The four workshops are: Saturday, September 19: Landscape Drawing with Optical Devices Wednesday, October 7: Color Alchemy—Pigments and DIY Paint Friday, November 6: Making an Impression Friday, November 20: Casting…