The Skull Series came out of the need to experiement with traditional painting materials combined with a contemporary approach to space and the picture plane.

The materials used in this series are the same as those used by the early renaissance painters such as Duccio and Martini. The boards are gessoed with at least fifteen layers of gesso which are lightly sanded between coats. The many layers of gesso give the boards a luminosity that comes through the transparent egg tempera. The egg tempera paint was made using renaissance recipes and simply involves mixing egg yolk, pigment, and vinegar to the correct proportions. Once dry the egg tempera is extremely hard and has an enamel quality.

The main body of the series consists of nine boards. I used a human skull as the motif and the paintings developped into more and more abstract forms.