Painting in oils is a common enough practice, although before oils really became popular and were readily available, tempera was the painting medium of choice. Veronique Tatoue is passionate about this medium. She also does mosaic work when she finds the time.
Tempera is a method of painting with pigments typically dispersed in egg yolk. The method was used in Europe for fine painting, mainly on wood panels, from the 12th or early 13th centuries until the 15th, when it gave way to oils. Perhaps it is apt that the old European style attracted a young French painter, who now resides in Christchurch. Veronique has given herself a pseudonym ‘Chaveron’ after her grandfather, Charles, a painter himself. Painting with tempera has ties back to Europe, Byzantine art. “All my life I have painted, but I started to paint with tempera because I started painting Byzantine icons from 1990. A nun taught me for three months then after this I continued learning by myself. “My biggest motivation is my passion for what I am doing – it is different and tempera is an old technique, a very long process and you must be patient and take your time.” Byzantine icons are religious work sof art, deep in the culture of traditional churches, with subjects including Christ, the Virgin Mary, and various saints and angels. “I have painted 13 icons at ‘the cross station’ in the town of Sanary sur Mer, in France in 2000,” she says. She also uses gesso when preparing each canvas. This is a time-consuming practice.
See more about Veronique here.
