What's in the Paint?

by Dena Tollefson

Question- Why is the oil paint on your canvas so thick - almost like peanut butter? How long will one of your paintings last?

Cymbidium Orchid III 30"x24" Oil on Canvas 2004 Copyright Dena Tollefson

Private Collection

Answer- The paint is thick because I use artist's grade artist's paint. By using the best materials available, my paintings will last for generations.

Paints come in different types- here are some examples

• Artist's Grade (also known as Professional Grade) Artist's Paint
• Student's Grade Artist's Paint
• House Paint

Artist's oil paint is much different than house paint.  

Artist's Grade (also known as Professional Grade) paint consists of a vehicle/binder (usually linseed oil) + pigment (very concentrated ground up color). This concentration of linseed oil plus pigment is very thick and viscous. Since the mixture is only oil + pigment only with no fillers, etc, the mixture comes out of the tube like tootpaste or peanut butter. It is very long lasting and enables the artist to create work which will last centuries. This same mixture of oil + pigment has been used by artists through the centuries and has stood the test of time.

Student grade paint is similar in composition to Artist's grade(vehicle/binder + pigment), but it has a lower concentration of pigment, therefore may not provide the color intensity and tinting strength that artist's grade paint does. I use only Artist's Grade paint as it helps me get the color strength I need.

Interior house paint consists of a vehicle/binder +filler + pigment + water. Adding the filler and water dilutes the tinting strength of the paint and affects its long term permanence. When you paint a wall in your house, you will expect the color to fade over the years. Paintings made with Artist's Paint do not experience this type of fading

House paint is an option for some painters- in fact the late painter Jackson Pollock used standard enamel house paint and sometimes car paint for his famous "Drip" paintings. The concern with using this paint is that it is not intended to last for hundreds (or even thousands of years) as artist's paint is. Conservation is being done to protect many Jackson Pollock paintings so they do not deteriorate before their time.