Sabratha

I painted the golden light of Libyan stone and its marble’s beautiful wavy lines on a backdrop of gesso, as if in fresco secco. Gesso — liquid lime mixed with Arabic gum — forms  an enduring fresco-like surface when it dries; lines can be incised on it so that it can be sculpted as well as painted. On this deep, uneven structure, working with a palette knife as much, if not more than with brushes, I could recreate the gritty imprecision of the ruins themselves. Combining oil paint, tempera, and ink (the oil paint mixed with linseed-oil and terpentine), I caught the blinding light of this ancient site west of Tripoli, that golden light coming from behind.