Fresco, frescoes in the plural, is actually the English usage of the true Italian word Affresco. There are actually two ways of making a Fresco: one is to paint directly onto fresh (affresco) plaster and the other is to transfer a painting from one plaster surface to another, called the Calicot method or Strappo.
Both Affresco methods create beautiful results as witnessed by the beautiful artwork left for us to admire by the Renaissance masters.
If the first method is used, painting directly onto wet plaster, the painting must be finished quickly to yield correct results. The pigments are dissolved in lime water and painted onto the fresh plaster so that the colors can be absorbed. In this way, when the painting "dries" (a chemical change occurs) the colors now become part of the plaster.
The Strappo method, which is the method used by Mia Casa Bella's Artists, is much more difficult! A skilled artist paints a wall with the design to be placed on a table top.
That painting is then covered by a fabric producing a negative image on the fabric. The fabric with the negative image is then placed on top of a marble table top.
It is then cured for twelve hours, leaving a positive image of the painting on the table top.
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