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| Sapphire |
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September’s birthstone is sapphire and is thought to give bodily and emotional balance. Sapphire is also routinely given as the 5th and 45th wedding anniversary. The Greek word for blue “sapphirus” gives sapphires their name.
Sapphires have long been a tradition for priests who think they exemplify purity, as well as king's who thought they symbolized wisdom. Compared to other gemstones, sapphires, like rubies, are a type of corundum. Sapphires come in magnificent colors that span from pink and lavender hues to a rare orange color and the most admired deep blue sapphire that helped earn its name. Sapphires have been mined since before the 7th century BC in an part of India now known as Sri Lanka. They are also found in other areas around the world such as Australia, Nigeria, Kenya, Madagascar, America, Thailand, Myanmar, Tanzania, China, and Myanmar. Due to the way that corundum crystals are formed, it causes large sapphires very seldomly making the largest ones extremely valuable. The 563 carat Star of India which is on show at the Museum of Natural History in New York City. This sapphire is known as the most famous of star sapphires, which are cut to reflect light from inclusions within the stone and reveal a bright six pointed star pattern. It was said that a venomous snake put in a vessel made of sapphire would immediately die. Sapphires have earned a reputation as being a great all purpose medicine and have been ingested as an antidote to poison. Sapphires have also been ground into powders as a remedy for troubles ranging from colic to mental illness. Egyptians once associated the clear sapphire with the eye of Horas, the “eye in the sky”. Sapphires were used by Greeks to tap into their sub-conscious mind by opening of the “third eye”. |
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| Encaustic Art |
| Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves using heated beeswax to which resins and colored pigments are added. This results in a paste like meduim which is applied to a surface such as prepared wood or canvas. | |
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| Color is a very broad topic. Entire books have been written on color and it would be quite difficult to cover every aspect of it within the confines of this article. My hopes with this introduction to color theory is to peek your interest and hopefully cause you to study this topic further on your own. Understanding color theory is perhaps one of the most important aspects of becoming a good painter. When you understand the elements of color and how colors interact with one another, you have unlocked one of the biggest puzzles of painting | |
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 Oil paints are made basically by mixing cold-pressed Linsed oil with pigment or color until a smooth buttery paint is produced. When the oil paint is used and applied to a surface the oil oxidizes or absorbs air and then forms a solid film that binds the pigment to the surface of the painting. |
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