Although the artist portfolio review is required to enroll in this private program, we do not discriminate and set harsh requirements that needed to be met by a potential student. The portfolio review is more for developing the individual (personal) structure of the workshop rather then a review of a professional or exhibition history of the student. This workshop has been attended by established artists that were offered fresco commissions by their patrons, university professors researching a possibility of adding fresco programs to their school's curriculum as well as mid-carrier artists or art students interested in more refined art education then is offered by mainstream art schools. This workshop takes place in Los Angeles at The Fresco School.
"Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone" is a phrase from the "Conversation with God" books. As an oil painter of 24 years experience, I am comfortable using a layered oil painting technique that I developed over the years. My recent fresco class with Ilia and Ian took me out of my comfort zone in oils and thrust me into the uncomfortable realm of a new medium.
Fresco is more closely related to the watercolor technique than it is to oils. Lighter tones are applied first, gradually building up to the darks, whereas in my oil technique, darks are laid in early, with lights built on top of the darks, in impasto. As a result of my embedded perceptions from oil painting, my first fresco attempt was humbling. We learn the most from our mistakes, so I learned a lot from that first fresco:
(1) The light, transparent tones are applied so light, they are barely visible (to my eyes, which are 61 years old). As the plaster dries, the tones become more pronounced. In my first attempt, I applied darker values too quickly, and once the darks are brushed on, they're on.
(2) Most of the medium is squeezed out of the brush before applying brush to surface which is, of course, already damp (my first fresco contained small dark pools of color at the end of practically every stroke, from having too much medium in the brush).
(3) Strokes must be applied lightly, caressing the surface. I do this in oils, so there was no adjustment necessary in this area.
(4) It is possible to create quite a rich dark by slowly building-up the tones. Since I work with the full value range in oils, I was pleased to note that fresco allows a fairly extensive value range.
For my second fresco, I added white to each color, working with tints in the light-to-middle value range for all but the eyes of the figure. While I found this approach controllable, the result is opaque colors which lack the purity and richness of the transparent colors.
My third fresco was of the same subject (a head) as the second, but I used only transparent colors. For this attempt, I laid down the tones as lightly as possible, working very slowly in building up the darks. This study was more successful in that I was finally able to control the tones more closely than before. 
There is a stage in the learning process where the student begins to "get it." I began to connect with the medium while working on my third fresco. My fourth fresco was a panel with the intonaco prepared by Ian, a surface so beautiful I almost didn't want to touch it. The thicker layers of the panel absorb the paint a little differently and also meant I had more working time (though the image I had chosen was so simple I didn't need it). The act of drawing on the wet plaster and building-up the delicate washes of color felt primal.
The preparation of the plaster surface for fresco is a critical part of the learning process, and will require extensive practice to master. I intend to prepare the surface of my own portable frescos, but as Ilia says, a wall fresco that requires several days/weeks/months to complete is best done with an assistant who is experienced in mixing and applying the intonaco surface.
Fresco restrictions are many: the working environment must be controlled (not too cold, not too hot, no sun, no wind), and only a small area may be covered each day. Also, even small portable frescoes on panels are heavy and fragile.
On the plus side, this is a medium made for murals, for walls and ceilings. No other medium works as well in this context. Its longevity cannot be matched. With proponents like Ilia making the medium more visible, architects and interior designers will begin incorporating fresco designs into more public and private buildings.
I live on the Big Island of Hawaii. As an oil painter, I exhibit and sell through galleries in the islands. Now that Ilia has impressed on me the potential of the fresco medium, I intend to master the technique, create portable frescoes for gallery exhibitions and eventually murals. This medium needs to be revitalized.
Ed Kayton
www.kayton-art.com
6-Day Private Professional Fresco Workshop is the ultimate option offered by The Fresco School. This class is the best solution for a serious artist with a goal. During this 6 days of this private fresco workshop student receives undivided one on one guidance from our instructors and enjoys privacy and access to the fully equipped fresco studio in Marina Del Rey, California. More information and enrollment - (here - Fresco School)
Online Fresco Technique Tutorials at Fresco-Techniques.com
