{"id":5396,"date":"2015-10-08T18:03:40","date_gmt":"2015-10-08T22:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/?p=5396"},"modified":"2016-04-23T15:16:41","modified_gmt":"2016-04-23T19:16:41","slug":"old-painting-medium-revisited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2015\/10\/old-painting-medium-revisited\/","title":{"rendered":"Old painting medium revisited"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve written before about my oil medium<\/a>. I wasn’t exaggerating when I wrote that my medium, one I’ve used for years, is the result of many, many trials.  I haven’t used every possible medium, of course, but I’ve tried a lot<\/em> of them. No one can try all possible combinations.  Recently, I revisited one of my earlier mediums, and I thought I’d share my experience.<\/p>\n

I don’t believe there is one best medium or even one that was used universally during any period in history. It’s simple–and simplistic–to point out that the best medium is the one that suits your style. The real question is: how do you know that your medium suits your style? Have your tried others?<\/p>\n

Read more<\/span>In the Studio Oct. 14 2012<\/span><\/a><\/div>

The majority of artists that I’m familiar with use the simplest medium–oil and turpentine. I guess that they consider its limitations the limitations of oil paint itself. If you’re happy with oil and turpentine alone, then more power to you. But, as you know,  that medium was never<\/em> widely used until recent times. If nothing else, artists modified their oil with the addition of driers, or by heating it to affect its performance.<\/p>\n

A minority of artists are keenly interested in mediums, some to the point of obsession. These artists cook their varnishes, manipulate their oil in a variety of ways, and grind their paints. Some even press their oil. While some of these artists pursue the holy grail of mediums to compensate for artistic shortcomings, many, taking advantage of the tools of the information age, are doing important research. James Groves<\/a>, an excellent painter, markets products that are the fruit of his research. I regularly use several of his products–copal varnish, and Courtrai drier.<\/p>\n

My Early Practices<\/h3>\n
Read more<\/span>Smooth Move—Smooth Painting Surfaces<\/span><\/a><\/div>

Like most young artists, I was indifferent toward mediums. I used oil and turp but soon became frustrated and started experimenting. I can’t remember everything I tried, but I used Venice turpentine, damar (yeech), stand oil, and others before settling on copal. I used several copal-based mediums, including some sold commercially. I remember one that had a pleasant citrus smell.<\/p>\n

But several things made me dissatisfied with my copal-based medium. My results were inconsistent. I hadn’t learned yet how cynical manufacturers can be and what is sometimes marketed as copal might be of inferior quality, or not contain any copal at all. Plus I wasn’t experienced enough to appreciate the profound effect that the ground–or painting surface–has on painting. On some grounds, my medium performed as expected, but on others, it handled poorly. My inexperience led me to attribute the results to the medium instead of the ground.<\/p>\n

Mastic Paintings<\/h3>\n
Read more<\/span>In the Studio—10\/28\/12<\/span><\/a><\/div>

Maroger medium is a mastic-based medium that became my everyday medium for several years; I was introduced to it at The Art Students League in New York. Students and teachers alike used it. Each week, a vendor would sell out his supply of the homemade medium. The jelly-like medium was packaged in baby food jars with hand-written labels. Of course, I had to try it. The recipe was widely known, and soon I was preparing my own supply.<\/p>\n

I still remember the recipe:<\/p>\n