Burnt Umbers - PBr115
When researching pigments, the artist wondered what would happen if he heated some of the colours.
After experimenting and putting these coloured powders in a saucepan over an open fire, some of these umbers gave off a smell like cabbage before changing colour.
He discovered the red ochres don’t change noticeably.
The umbers darken, some changing to a rich black like the umbers from Orton and Hardknott.
As the artist calcined or heated the yellow ochres, they became more intense and richer in colour.
The Tan Hill and Galloway oranges turned into rich red-browns.
When the Honister Green was heated, nothing happened until the saucepan started to glow red. Then it dramatically turned into a greenly brown, which has some interesting uses for artists.
The pale yellow sandstone found around Reeth in the Yorkshire Dales turns into intense blood red and has been included in the red ochre section.
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