White siccative

White siccative

I’ve written plenty of times about my medium. My medium is perfect for me but there are some corner cases. The medium is darkish and for the high-key colors, it can be too strong.

White siccative is not found in the literature as much as the dark variety that I am used to, siccative Courtrai. The latter is made with lead or other metal-derived substances. White siccative varies considerably in its composition. One popular 19th-century variety was made with some type of drying turpentine. Also, lead can be used without darkening it. About a decade ago, Doak offered something he called ‘liquid lead,’ which is a clear liquid made with turpentine or mineral spirits.

I prepare my own oil by placing it in a lead tray. The process makes the oil drying without darkening it.

This unfinished painting, Woman with a White Handbag, shows the use of the white siccative in the handbag and lighter flesh values. I sometimes use sun-thickened oil in the lights for extra body, although I don’t plan to use that in this painting.

materials Turpentine diaries