Book details

Book description

Spike Bucklow sets out to unravel the myths behind the pigments, like dragonsblood, which is said to be a mixture of elephant and dragon blood. Examining both the medieval palette and the often cloak-and-dagger science that created it, he uncovers the secret recipes behind the luxurious colours we are familiar with today. Driven by an overriding passion for art, Spike Bucklow's aim is to restore value to colour. Spike Bucklow has a scientific background and has worked in film and TV producing special effects. His latex creations feature in films including Indiana Jones, Little Shop of Horrors, Princess Bride, and the 1980s satirical TV show Spitting Image. He is now Senior Research Scientist and Teacher of Theory at the Hamilton Kerr Institute in Cambridge, where he studied for a PhD in the Conservation of Easel Paintings. He has written about pigment use in art for a number of journals and draws on a wide range of experiences and research of ancient texts, scrolls and manuscripts  to develop his ideas. He prefers to avoid the modern world wherever possible.