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I prefer Halogen. Referring to the light as "yours" and defending it's sales claims, as your own, to me seems quite odd.
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You're absolutely right I don't understand the "science" behind lighting. I wasn't defending any sales claims as my own. I was pointing out that there seems to be a lot of conflicting facts on the subject. I do, however, understand the practical application of lighting as it relates to my paintings and my studio situation.
I pride myself in the knowledge I've cultivated regarding the painting process. I'd like to humor myself and think that some others out there may agree. I'm well aware that there are those would strongly debate that fact. I consider myself an idiot savant regarding portraiture and although I may be clueless regarding life in general, when it comes to painting I am very discerning and not capricious with my choices.
Just because a so called expert may express certain "agreed upon" theoretical tenants, I accept nothing until I prove to myself that there is validity there for me. With painting, for example, I'm often eschewing popular notions because I want the best solution possible. I often find the answers doing the exact opposite. My students are proving over and over that my theories bear themselves out. If a problem arises I reevaluate and dogmatically search for a better answer or a better explanation.
Science is based on experimentation and testing. That is exactly how I have approached the choices I've made regarding my studio lighting. I have painted under every type of color corrected bulb throughout my career. When I tried halogen bulbs I found the light to be very harsh with hot spots, casting sharp shadows from my hand and brush onto the painting surface . The halogens also generated a lot of heat. The lower wattage and softer quality of the Lumichrome bulbs give off far less heat and illuminate the painting on my canvas with an even and diffused light. I've always searched for the possible best solution and I've never been satisfied. That is until I found the lumichrome T8's. The color rendition is virtually flawless.
You say incandescents are the BASELINE for CRI comparison in the warm range of 2700-3400K. It was my presumption that a CRI of 100 was based on the color rendering index of natural daylight and not artificial. Incandescent bulbs, again according to my understanding, are not comprised of the full spectrum, so how can they possibly allow one to differentiate between colors? Even Soltec doesn't claim their lights to be 100 CRI. They say 98 or 99. I think that 2700-3400K is far too yellow anyway for my needs so I consider it a moot point.
When my students bring in their painting assignments there are always huge problems with the color, if they have incandescent bulbs in their studios. When they switch to the bulbs I recommend those problems seem to evaporate.
The bulbs I use are a near perfect match to the north light that enters my studio. during the winter months. Unfortunately there are trees outside my window that block the sky so I need additional light for the other half of the year. I sometimes continue working past sundown and never regret the nighttime color choices I've made the following morning.
It works for me.