Frescoes Audio Tour

Ben Long grew up in Statesville, NC, and studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Art Students' League in New York.

He later lived in Florence, Italy, where he studied with master artist Peitro Annigoni and learned the art of painting frescoes. His many works, created in churches and public buildings throughout the world, have garnered immense praise and recognition. 

Fresco- From the Italian word for "fresh"-refers to the process of painting on plaster and the resulting product.

The fresco process is a long and tedious one involving the application of three layers. First, a base coat of plaster-lime mixed with sand and water-is applied to the wall.

On a second, finer coat of plaster - the arriccio - a red outline called the sinopia is transferred from the studio drawings.

 The final layer is the intonaco - one part lime and one part sand - to which hand-ground pigments suspended in water are applied.