Experiencing Joy Through Art

   Hello! Today I thought you’d enjoy another art material post. I find the history and making of the tools we artists use to be a fascinating subject in its own right. Let’s take a closer look at oil paints.

   Oil painting has long been considered the “king” of art mediums, however this was not always the case. Years ago, prior to the 15th Century, the most commonly used paint was egg tempera, which dried quickly and was difficult to master. Another common method of painting was fresco where pigments are painted directly into wet plaster on a wall. 

   There is a theory that oil paint was first used in Venice, because of the humidity in the air created by the canals. This meant frescoes wouldn’t dry or would take too long to dry. It’s a nice story but probably not accurate. It was well known prior to the 15th Century that certain natural oils had drying properties, but up until that time they were used mostly as decorative paints or household paint.

   There is another popular myth that Jan Van Eyck invented oil paints. He didn’t, but what he did do was help bring them into their own as a fine art medium. His exclusive use of oils on panel quickly became the standard go-to method for the Flemish artists of the Renaissance and thus oil paint claimed its throne, yet to be supplanted.

   Oil paints don’t dry by evaporation (like watercolors), they dry by oxidation. The oil slowly absorbs oxygen molecules from the air and then polymerizes. A chemical process by which the oil film gels and then hardens. The chemical composition of the wet oil is different from the dry and this process is irreversible. While an oil painting will be dry to the touch in about 7 to 10 days, it’s not actually chemically dry for 4 to 6 months. 

   The most commonly used oil for fine art paint is linseed oil. It dries relatively fast, and becomes a hard yet flexible film that retains no tackiness, making it ideal oil for paints. Oils that do this are known as drying oils as opposed to oils like vegetable oil which will never fully dry and always remain sticky. Other oils besides linseed that yellow less as they age are sometimes used for lighter colors, including safflower oil and walnut oil.

   Linseed oil is completely non-toxic and people take it as a dietary supplement. The only difference is that on the vitamin bottles they call it “Flaxseed Oil”. It’s the same thing…linseed oil comes from the seed of the flax plant which is also where we get linen. Linen is used to make the highest quality artist canvas, so it’s all from the same plant.

   Oil paints must be ground in order to function properly. It is not enough to simply take the dry powdered pigment and stir it together with the oil. That works great for cooking but not for paint. Once the two are thoroughly mixed, the paint must be passed through a series of stone or metal rollers to “grind” the color into the oil. The goal is to make sure every single molecule of pigment is surrounded by an even layer of oil. This is what helps give oil paint its lustre and depth of color.

   Each pigment absorbs different amounts of oil depending on its chemistry so creating and perfecting good quality paint is an art in and of itself.

   Years ago this process was done by hand with marble slabs and glass mullers. A scene like this can be seen in the film “Girl with a Pearl Earring” where Scarlett Johansson’s character is milling Vermeer’s paints for him. I was impressed by the film’s attention to detail and accuracy.

   Once the oil paints are properly ground they can be placed into metal tubes for use by artists. Before the collapsible metal tubes were invented in 1841 by John Goffe Rand, artists used pig bladders to hold their paint. Winsor & Newton was the first art materials company to mass produce paint in the metal tubes we know today.

   Most large art material manufactures today use automated machines to do all of this. Still, there are some artisan paint makers in the 21st Century that still make paint in small batches albeit with some machinery to make the job easier. One of my favorites is Blue Ridge Oil Colors made by Eric Silver in Asheville, NC. Here is a fantastic video all about his shop. 

   It is no surprise that oil is the most popular medium…it lends itself to a variety of techniques and has a beauty and richness that no other medium can quite imitate. It is also one of the most forgiving mediums to work with.