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Now through March 11, the National Museum of Industrial History will display the art of Peter Maier. Maier’s goal is to make his work come alive, and he succeeds in creating highly realistic paintings—so much so that they look almost photographic. Maier’s technique is a unique process where he paints on high-tech, fabricated aluminum panels and uses a high-quality waterborne paint, DuPont Cromax AT, which helps create a three-dimensional effect. He uses a multi-layering process that combines industrial paint technology and traditional brushwork. A dozen layers of transparent paint are applied so the previous layer can show through. Additionally, he uses only pure colors, such as blue over yellow to produce green—no premixed colors. Only eight to ten pure colors and 25 or more layers of paint are utilized to produce an entire painting. After the layers are complete, Maier gives a clear coat, which is then wet sanded, and applies one last clear coat. This allows the depth of layering and the saturation of colors to really show through, giving the painting a distinct luminosity and surface finish.
602 E. 2nd St., Bethlehem | 610.694.6644 | nmih.org
