Oil Paints reviewed

I've decided to write about some happier things for a minute. First, some may know I've been commissioned to do some oil paintings and have been working on that for the last few months. I originally intended to do about 5 or 6 paintings, but it's looking more and more like the final tally will be about 8 or 9 paintings total.

After much debate, I decided to stick with oils rather than use acrylics- it really was my choice. Now, I'm glad I did. I've done some underpainting with acrylics, and even with extenders (uh, they are sometimes called retarders...) I can't love 'em. I dunno why Golden is so beloved in the art community, I find they are "looser" and just simpler pigments. Maybe 'cuz they have a broad color range and run mid-line in pricing?

I've tested some Lascaux with absolute success for acrylics. These would likely be my loyal brand if I used the medium more. I also feel comfortable with most Tri-Art colors. The fillers just seem more workable than the Goldens to me. And I have quite a few different colors; so believe me, I realize some pigments may be more prone to traits than others (to be fair).

Now, for oils... I can't seem to find many "bad" pigments from the collection I have. I seem to remember years ago painting in college (I think with Grumbacher's) and trying to mix a color, like orange and getting a brown instead from a red and yellow. I promised myself if I were to buy oils ever again, they should be better quality- especially for the time investment we make to our paintings already.

In short, Williamsburg is absolutely the best paint I've used. Not only for its cadmiums, but its entire range. I've been pretty satisfied with the 30 or so colors of Sennelier I have, but some seem to me a bit less 'saturated' in colors. Obviously "lake" colors should not be discussed because that is their nature. I've also found I really enjoy Schminke Mussini paints a lot. They tend to work a little firmer and hold great brush strokes without the use of something like Gamblin Galkyd Lite or Wax. I might dare say Schminke cadmiums even better Williamsburg in pureness and brightness.

I have some Blockxx paints and can't say I'd pay the money to buy them again. I've not worked with Old Holland or Maimeri Puro paints because they are simply price prohibitive; and I am very satisfied with the results from these other brands. The Windsor & Newton colors I use are simply because they have a braoder color range, and they seem to work alright. I don't tend to like the W & N cad's much, I think they're less rich compared to the perfect Williamsburg/Schminke colors. I think it's the poppy oil in the Williamsburgs that allows such rich colors- and W & N uses linseed oil, I'm not sure- I actually don't study the bases and oils as much as others may. I also have some Gamblin paints and for the price, they are very good paints. I'd still vote for Schminke Mussini and Williamsburg even at a steep price premium. All told, I'd guess I now have about $800 in paints (about 90 tubes total), so these opinions come from my own personal experience.

You can view some of my painting inspiration on my d3velop home page. Mostly, this work is microphotography: photography taken under an electron microscope. I've seen work of minerals (that were backlilt) and the images have always been very memorable to me. Plus, my client tends to like 'modern abstract' and very brilliant, warm colors. Yes, those are pics of dinosaur bones and different brands of beer. I love the rich color patterns and varied compostions. This is inspiration, none of it is my work. Cheers.