[Garth Herrick]

Richard,

Of the 670 tubes of oil paint laying around my studio, I have selected 25 representative tubes of earth reds ranging from Caput Mortuum to Venetian Orange. Some of these tubes are new but many are old, some going back some sixty years!

I have grouped them onto a linen canvas chart, showing in each, the mass tone, transparency gradations, and tints both with a pure flake white and a pure titanium white.

There is such a diffrence in tints made with flake white than with those made of any others, including titanium and zinc. The flake white tints are what historic painters would have been familiar with, as even a century ago, no artist even had titanium white. Flake white makes very warm tints while the other whites push the tints much cooler.

I was surprised to find that each tube was an unique original color, with unique original characteristics. Even though several tubes from different manufacturers share the same color name, they are not in fact the same color; and I have concluded there is no standard color for such names as "Indian Red", "Terra Rosa", or Venetian Red". One just has to find the particular brands that appeal to one's color sense. Even the same color from the same brand and manufacturer will vary over time. What were formerly naturally occurring pigments are now largely syntheticly produced.

This is probably more than anyone wants to know, but here goes:

The list of paint samples on the chart (each is tinted with Old Holland Titanium White on top (right), and Vasari Flake White on the bottom (left)):

1. Pebeo Fragonard - Orange de Venise (note that this is not the same product as present day Fragonard oils).

2. Old Holland - Vleesoker (flesh ochre) (fortified with napthol red).

3. Williamsburg - Pompeii Red (from their special Italian earths range, a particularly intense natural pigment).

4. Schmincke Mussini - Lasur-Oxid-Rot ( a wonderful transparent red).

5. Gamblin - Transparent Earth Red (deeper and less orange than the Mussini).

6. Vasari - Scarlet Sienna ( a variety of burnt sienna).

7. Winsor & Newton - Mars Orange

8. Senelier - Rouge de Venise (I got this tube in 1982. It is a very vibrant warm light red).

9. Winsor & Newton - Venetian Red (This tube dates from the Sixties).

10. Grumbacher Pretested - Venetian Red (this tube is from the Eighties, and this color is a different animal than all the other Venetian Reds; more like an Indian Red!).

11. Shiva - Venetian Red (same vintage as above).

12. Vasari - Venetian Red (deeper and more subtle in tone).

13. Talens Rembrandt - Pozzuoli Earth (from the mid 1980's).

14. Winsor & Newton - Terra Rosa (a newish tube).

15. Winsor & Newton - Terra Rosa (a tube from the 1970's). They are nearly the same but the older one is a fraction warmer.

16. Grumbacher - Terra Rosa (this is one of the tubes that is at least a half century old. Nice color).

17. Talens Orpi - Light Red (really old! - Before Rembrandt!).

18. Talens Rembrandt - English Red Light (from the 1980's; cooler than the one above).

19. Winsor & Newton - Light Red (a lovely very warm red; 1970's).

20. Grumbacher - Mars Red (from the 1940's again; deeper in tone than the newer product below).

21. Grumbacher - Mars Red (1970's; brighter in tone).

22. Permanent Pigments - Indian Red (from the early 1960's).

23. Grumbacher - Indian Red (also from the 1960's; brighter in tone and fractionally warmer than above).

24. Talens Rembrandt - Caput Mortuum (from thw 80's)

25. Vasari - Caput Mortuum (deeper and more subtle than the Rembrandt).

The two large tubes are:

Old Holland - Titanium White (an absolutely pure Titanium White ..very rare these days!).

Vasari - Flake White (a premium pure Flake White).

OK! Now let's study the pictures!

Yours ,

Garth