Solvents in Oil Painting: Insights for Contemporary Artists
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I don’t understand a lot of this. Summary appears to suggest this is all about cleaning a painting but article says it’s about using during painting. I also want to understand what these researchers are suggesting be used instead. Walnut oil is fat as are many other mediums. We are told to avoid too much fat in early layers so what’s the recommendation?
The paper was about the use of solvents in cleaning and restoration. However, we can apply these principles to painting. which is the intent of Painting Best Practices — applying the latest scientific research about paintings to contemporary practice. It is easy to avoid “fat” in the early layers of a painting by avoiding adding medium to your paint. Paint from the tube is “lean,” because it has a pigment-to-binder ratio close to the critical pigment volume concentration (cPVC) of the pigment or pigment mixture. In the first layers of your painting, apply paint straight from the tube and apply it thinly — you’ll then have “lean” layers that dry quickly.
Not being a chemist, much of these terms were not as informative as I would like for my painting methods. I was taught to apply a thin underpainting or drawing of oil paint mixed with a very lean medium to the canvas first and to then gradually add more and more oil as I completed the painting. Using mineral spirits now, I find that my paint film does not dry as hard and can literally be erased with very little effort long after it was painted. I tried adding alkyd resin to my paint to create a stronger film. Is that the correct thing to do? Another question. Can I paint on a canvas I prepared five years ago? Should it be cleaned and how would I do that? Thank you!
While what you were taught is one method of painting, it is not the only method of starting an oil painting. As I replied to Vana, you can simply apply the paint, perhaps with a few drops of oil added, onto the ground very thinly. If you use lead white and other fast-drying pigments in this layer, it will dry quickly and form a hard film. The point of this article is to discourage the use of solvents, and if you decide to continue using solvents, use them minimally.
Hi George,
That was an interesting article on underpainting with turps washes. I used to use turps on initial layers but I don’t actually do this now, I only sparingly use linseed oil throughout my painting process. I usually paint in thin layers.
What I would like to know is how Gamblin’s wax medium affects an oil painting, when used on top as a varnish? I don’t like my paintings too shiny. Does the wax medium let the paint breathe or is it totally sealed? How long should I wait until I apply a wax medium varnish? Is there other better varnish products that I could use that would not give me too much sheen?
Have you ever come across a painting going darker in overall tone after a few months? This happened to one of my paintings and I wasn’t sure why?
Thanks for your information.
Cheers
Megan
I had hoped that alternatives to using solvents in painting would be addressed more, given their impact on the paint layer and the off-gassing of volatile chemicals. Or at least a reference to other articles that do address these concerns. I’m new to oil painting, but I’m trying to learn it without using solvents, or at least with minimal usage of them.