The Handsome Frank podcast has been back out on the road, this time to a snow covered Liverpool. Our first stop? Meeting up with painting pro, Joël Penkman.
Journeying to the northern outskirts of the city, we arrived in Maghull at the beautiful mid-century family house that Joël calls home.
Coming in from the snow, we were delighted to not only be greeted by Joël and her partner James, but also by the incredible smells of hot coffee and freshly baked bread - offering a very welcome sanctuary from the frosty elements.
Settling down in a sun soaked front room, we talked to Joël at length about her work and craft. The conversation spanned from her journey from Christchurch NZ to the Liverpool suburbs, to how she discovered, and mastered, the ancient art of painting with egg tempera.
For the uninitiated, this is the practice of mixing dry coloured pigments with a wet binding ingredient - like some egg yoke - to create a perfect painting consistency. So not only does Joël's work look good enough to eat, it technically has some protein content as well...
(To be clear - we do not recommend eating paintings, stick to regular eggs please)
Before oil paintings, a lot of artists used egg tempera for religious icon paintings ... When oil paint came along, that superseded it. I guess it keeps longer and blends better.
... a lot of the beauty and magic comes from the layering of the paint because it's semi opaque, and a lot of the colours show through. It's described as a very luminescent process.
Fix yourself a cup of tea, make yourself comfortable and join us for an art adventure that spans the globe and the centuries. Listen to the podcast over at Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.
