Egg Tempera
Egg tempera is a traditional paint made by combining pigment with an egg-yolk binder and water. It dries quickly in thin layers and is normally used on a rigid, smooth, absorbent ground rather than a flexible painting support.
Painter
Peter Hurd
Peter Hurd was an American painter known for egg-tempera and watercolor landscapes of New Mexico, using expressive brushwork to capture desert light and weather.
Peter Hurd quick facts
Review Peter Hurd's New Mexico landscapes, egg-tempera and watercolor methods, prepared rigid supports, early oil paintings, and closely observed subjects.
| Born | 1904 · Roswell, New Mexico, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died | 1984 |
| Nationality | American |
| Movements | American Regionalism |
| Paint types | Egg tempera · Watercolor · Oil paint (early works) |
| Painting surfaces | Painting board (gessoed Masonite and birch panels) · Paper · Canvas (early oil paintings) |
| Painting methods | Fine tempera layers on prepared rigid grounds; later broader egg-tempera brushwork for expansive landscapes; watercolor studies |
| Common subjects | New Mexico hills, deserts, ranch buildings, approaching storms, rural life, and portraits |
| Support preparation | Egg tempera on gessoed Masonite; documented birch panels |
| Notable works | A Shower in a Dry Year · Portrait of Gerald Marr · Still Life of Stone Jug |
Sources: Ellen Noël Art Museum: regionalism and materials, Brandywine Museum: Hurd and the Wyeths, Albuquerque Museum: A Shower in a Dry Year, New Mexico Museum of Art: Portrait of Gerald Marr, Brandywine Museum: oil on canvas, and Smithsonian Archives of American Art: artist interview.
Paint types used
Explore documented egg-tempera, watercolor, and early oil paintings by Hurd, with links explaining how these materials behave on different supports.
Watercolor
Watercolor paint is a water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder. It is known for transparent color that settles into absorbent paper.
Oil Paint
Oil paint is a slow-drying paint made with pigment and a drying oil binder. It is widely used for artwork because it blends smoothly and develops rich color.
Surface types used
Compare the prepared Masonite and birch panels, watercolor paper, and early oil-painting canvases documented in museum collection records.
Painting Board
Painting board is a rigid artist support made from hardboard, wood, or another stable panel material. It may be sold raw or prepared with a medium-specific ground layer.
Paper
Paper is an absorbent sheet material made primarily from cellulose fibers. Its weight, sizing, surface texture, and wet strength determine how much paint it can accept before buckling, pilling, bleeding, or warping.
Canvas
Canvas is a woven fabric used as a flexible support for painting. Artist canvas is commonly made from cotton or linen and sold either raw or coated with a ground layer.
Painters similar to Peter Hurd
Explore painters who share Hurd's carefully prepared tempera supports, realist subjects, or documented connections to the Wyeth artistic circle.
Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Wyeth was an American painter known for closely observed landscapes, interiors, and people from Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and coastal Maine.
Koo Schadler
Koo Schadler is an American painter known for contemporary egg tempera paintings, metalpoint drawings, works on prepared paper and rigid panels, and teaching traditional painting methods.
Robert Vickrey
Robert Vickrey was an American painter and illustrator known for detailed egg tempera paintings combining realistic observation with symbolic imagery, alongside acrylic, watercolor, and gouache work.