Nathan Allard, a painter from Maine, has a strong connection with the natural world both in compositions and materials. Allard’s medium of choice, egg tempera, is a traditional and painstaking technique that dates back to the Egypt and Renaissance masters, notably used prior to the rise of oil painting. This medium offers a unique sense of luminescence and depth. His watercolor works showcase a more spontaneous fluidity, providing a contrast to the tightness of his tempera pieces.
The materials Allard uses are a testament to his commitment to nature. Handmaking most of his tempera pigments he blends sustainability with artistic expression. In his painting, the past and the present merge through his mediums and subjects, creating a dialogue between age-old techniques and our current era.
In the painting above painting”Breezeway” he used stones from the lake shore and a charred piece of the cabin to depict the 120 year old log cabin. To watch the creation of that painting, view the below documentary.