Original artwork description:

This is a small painting in egg tempera and gold leaf on an oak panel.

During the first summer of the pandemic, my family and I were lucky enough to be able to drive south to a beautiful cottage that we rented in Tarn et Garonne for a week.

Because of the strict rules, we were, for the most part, confined to the house and garden so I had plenty of time to draw in the sun. I often found that I wasn't alone - lots of small lizards also enjoyed the sun in the garden and I managed to make a few quick sketches before they scuttled away.

It's taken a bit of time for any of them to make it into one of my paintings, but with things warming up again, it seemed like the right moment to give a lizard a starring role.

The painting is on a solid oak panel, with water-gilded blades of grass and egg tempera paint, made by hand-grinding dry pigments in egg yolk and water. It is signed and dated on the reverse and has a d-ring attached so that it is ready to hang.

Materials used:

oak panel, gesso, bole, gold leaf, pigments, egg yolk tempera

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