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WACŁAW WANTUCH

Figurative Painting in Handmade Oil Paints

The pigment is already inside the stone. You just need to let it out.

The pigment is already inside the stone. You just need to let it out.

This Stone Is Pure Yellow Pigment

How a piece of quarry stone turns into a paint worthy of the old masters. ⟶ Read more

Knock, wait, enter!

Knock, wait, enter!

Knock, wait, enter!

What looks like madness is just people trying to see less — to draw better. ⟶ Read more

Breaking stone into pigment isn't romantic — but it works, and it lasts.

Breaking stone into pigment isn't romantic — but it works, and it lasts.

Sanguine: From Rock to Paint

A chunk of rock. A hammer. And a pigment straight from the Renaissance. ⟶ Read more

Handmade willow charcoal prepared using a 15th-century method described by Cennino Cennini.

Handmade willow charcoal prepared using a 15th-century method described by Cennino Cennini.

How to Make Drawing Charcoal — A Medieval Recipe from Cennino Cennini

A medieval method for making perfect drawing charcoal. ⟶ Read more

Terra rossa soil collected in Croatia, prepared as pigment in a traditional studio process.

Terra rossa soil collected in Croatia, prepared as pigment in a traditional studio process.

Terra rossa underfoot

It starts with a rusty patch of soil and ends as a fine red pigment — boiled, ground, and reborn. → Read more

Loose brushstrokes forming the figure of a reclining body in early oil painting stage.

Loose brushstrokes forming the figure of a reclining body in early oil painting stage.

Illusion

Smears and scribbles turn into form — believable, almost real. → Read more

Black manganese sand collected in a cave, later ground into pigment for fast-drying oil paint.

Black manganese sand collected in a cave, later ground into pigment for fast-drying oil paint.

The Hidden Manganese Cave and the Birth of a Black Pigment

Crawling through the cave, I came out with a bag of black sand — and a pigment that dries oil paint overnight. →Read more

A hidden cave, black sand, and manganese — transformed into a timeless pigment.

A hidden cave, black sand, and manganese — transformed into a timeless pigment.

Black Sand and Manganese – A Cave Pigment Expedition

From the depths of a cave, black sand rich in manganese becomes a fast-drying pigment of the old masters. → Read more

Applying gold leaf onto a bolus ground, later polished with an agate stone for a mirror-like shine.

Applying gold leaf onto a bolus ground, later polished with an agate stone for a mirror-like shine.

Learning the Art of Gold Leaf Gilding

Thin as breath, bright as a mirror — gold leaf gilding is slow, meticulous, and timeless. → Read more

Semi-glazing titanium white applied over an underpainting in oil.

Semi-glazing titanium white applied over an underpainting in oil.

I Had to Give In – Semi-Glazing Titanium White

Not every white is the same — semi-glazing titanium white works more like a veil of light than a layer of paint. →Read more

Legendary barite — a quiet helper hidden in the paints of the great masters. → Read more

Legendary barite — a quiet helper hidden in the paints of the great masters. → Read more

Clear the Way—Barite Coming Through!

Legendary barite — a quiet helper hidden in the paints of the great masters. → Read more

Lavender oil tested as a non-toxic alternative to turpentine in traditional oil painting.

Lavender oil tested as a non-toxic alternative to turpentine in traditional oil painting.

Stink

Turpentine stinks. I needed an alternative — and what I found surprised me. → Read more

Art diploma defense at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow that unexpectedly turned into a heated faculty debate.

Art diploma defense at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow that unexpectedly turned into a heated faculty debate.

My Art Diploma Defense Ended in a Faculty Debate

My diploma defense ended in a faculty quarrel. → Read more

Art diploma performance staged in total darkness with stone blocks, sparks, and minimal light effects.

Art diploma performance staged in total darkness with stone blocks, sparks, and minimal light effects.

My Art Diploma Performance in Total Darkness

An art diploma performed in absolute darkness — with stones, sparks, and silence. → Read more

Sun-thickened linseed oil prepared in the traditional way, stirred daily for weeks under summer light.

Sun-thickened linseed oil prepared in the traditional way, stirred daily for weeks under summer light.

Sun-Thickened Linseed Oil: The Old Masters’ Secret

Linseed oil, left to the summer sun, becomes the finest medium of the old masters. → Read more

Learning old masters’ painting techniques at Tadeusz Piotrowski’s school in Olsztyn, combining theory with practice in art conservation.

Learning old masters’ painting techniques at Tadeusz Piotrowski’s school in Olsztyn, combining theory with practice in art conservation.

Learning the Old Masters’ Techniques at Tadeusz Piotrowski’s School

What I learned at Piotrowski’s school felt like time travel. → Read more

Tadeusz Piotrowski, painter and teacher, remembered for preserving the traditional painting techniques of the old masters.

Tadeusz Piotrowski, painter and teacher, remembered for preserving the traditional painting techniques of the old masters.

The End of Traditional Painting Techniques – A Tribute

He taught me the secrets of the old masters — this is my tribute. → Read more

First job in an art conservation studio, working on large-scale paintings and sculptures using traditional techniques.

First job in an art conservation studio, working on large-scale paintings and sculptures using traditional techniques.

6 Hours That Changed Everything – My First Job in an Art Conservation Studio

Six hours in the studio — and art suddenly meant something very different. → Read more

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