Turpentine diaries

Rublev oil paint is excellent. Along with Harding, they are my choice for high-end oil paint.

I’ve used Rublev oils frequently but only recently moved them into the top tier on my Oil Paint Brand Reference. I used some of their excellent lead whites over the past month and realized how fantastic this paint is.

I was puzzling out why it took so long for me to upgrade their rating. After all, I wrote before that their version of burnt sienna, an essential color on my palette, was my top choice. So why was I slow to move them to the top?

I think it was due to constant changes in their product lineup, or so it seemed to me. They used to make an assortment of varnishes, which they’ve since discontinued. That was frustrating and offputting. I have been slow to shop with them since they discontinued the varnishes, except for the occasional order of lead white or burnt sienna.

Their lead whites are easily among the best on the market today. Regular readers know I am passionate about lead white so this is high praise. Not only that, they offer a variety of lead whites. I think only RGH can compete with them on the variety offered. I like their Venetian White, a mixture of basic lead carbonate and barium sulfate (barite). I am also playing with their Ceruse, a mixture of lead white and calcite (chalk). I used to make my own Ceruse when I employed an egg-oil emulsion. Admixtures or adulterants in paint are generally considered bad for a good reason: unscrupulous manufacturers use them to cut costs. But there are good reasons to add things to paint to modify their behavior. I am preparing another post about the many good reasons to modify paint–to increase opacity or transparency, to mention just two. 

Rublev = good.