After I posted "Beer, fresco and increased sales" in this forum, I visited the brewery to see Fra. Davydov's work.

His St. Arnold is very appealing, the colors are lush and the design of his garments traditionally iconic and decorative.

The folks who watched Fra. Davydov work said he was experiencing severe stomach problems, though, because he followed a tradition of tasting the plaster to determine its suitability for being painted. And the lime was causing him digestive pain.

Can this be correct? Does one taste the plaster?

Secondly, I was surprised to see brush marks in the colors in the fresco. Is this typical? (I've yet to try a fresco; still investigating.)

Thanks.