Tom, hurrah for the centrists! They keep us balanced.

Thomasin, do you really think anyone on this forum has the motive (even if they owned the power) to "force" others to accept their choices? Your comment about working to rules is sensible only as it appertains to stylistic and aesthetic choices. When working with physical materials, you're bound by physical rules. You may be in emptional denial of gravity, but if you jump off a 10-story building, you'll still be just as dead.

Here's the good news: As Tom points out, painting in oils is forgiving enough that it's pretty hard to use any of the materials commonly employed to the point of failure. Even the most flagrant violations of proper techniques of application will last plenty long enough to be seen, stored, then tossed in the landfill.

Here's better news: The actual craft of applying paint in a workmanlike manner to insure the best (archival) results is not rocket-science. The materials necessary to ply the trade are simple and few.

And finally, I know I'm dangerously addicted to leaping into the breach to spill everything I know about materials and painting, because on fora such as this one, perennially one encounters questions about materials which should be dirt-simple, but confuse folks who are doing good work, because the systematic teaching of a few simple procedures and the nature of a few simple materials has not been taught for decades. I think they deserve answers, and discussions like this provide that. I'm certainly not always right, but I'm always sincere.

Shame on you! Get back to work ! (and happy painting!)

I apologise for going on about something that no-one was really arguing about in the first place. Too much morning coffee and not enough painting to keep me sane. I humbly took up my paint brush and blew the dust off my alizarin crimson (although really I suppose I should be taking the wrapping off my newly-bought Pyrolo Ruby or Maimeri Puro's Crimson Lake 174) and indeed got back to work. (well, until now, of course)

:D
I was thinking today that artists should abandon the semblance of communication in the various internet art fora and just link together a network of blogs. Then it occured to me that a painting, for all practical purposes, is a form of a blog, whether or not we have visual literacy.

(Sorry for the digression; I have really enjoyed reading the comments on this thread. I like Pyrollo Ruby, too.)

Scientists Help Restore Aging Artworks
 

I just read this article, Scientists Help Restore Aging Artworks , on a new development in artwork restoration.

Perhaps we can just list the colours we use on the back of the canvas, then, and all will be ok ;).

I wonder, though, this going over with actual paint - does it make for merely a very accurate copy. Wouldn't the inimitable genius in the brushtrokes be lost? And then the importance of a piece be lessened. Maybe you are right, Sharon, to cover yourself when to comes to keeping colours true and long-lived when you are creating your own work.

I don't have a current price list from Doak. The one I have is over a year old, so if late developments have driven up the price on those pigments, he may be "up" too.

SP is still available to buy from online . . . only the forum has become a subscription proposition. No worries if you call to order on the phone, I don't think Rob filled orders anyway, unless you asked specifically for him . . .

The last price list I have from Doak lists pyrol ruby red at $35 for the small tube. His phone numbers are:
718-237-1210 and 718-237-0146

. . . ! no hay de que! (es un placer)