Thoughts on painting mediums

[Richard Bingham]

"Mayer's Medium" is what has been universally used in university art departments for over a generation. What has not been taught is an overview of sound painting methods and the nature of materials. While quite innocuous as a "medium", it's commonly used simply as a diluent in the absence of better instruction.

Information on the broad variety of handling characteristics paint additives (that may be properly termed " painting mediums") can present has been sorely lacking where art instruction has abrogated systematic teaching of the craft aspects of applying and handling paint in favor of promoting a "self expression" unfettered by considerations for the physical realities which materials in general present.

The presence of damar in the "Mayer Mix" is qustionable, as it adds nothing to the handling character of paints that varying proportions of oil and turpentine do not. Stand oil affects the nature of paint films more dramatically than damar, and may be termed a "medium" when used instead of an untreated raw linseed oil.

The recipe for Mayer's three-part recipe is perennially suspect, as more often than not, damar retouch is used, which is already diluted over 50% with additional turpentine, to the point the resin and oil are so over-extended their presence is moot, the effect being negligible if not unnoticeable.

To reiterate, painting mediums are not diluents; they are not siccatives.

Turpentine alone will reduce the viscosity of tube paint, as well as accelerate drying. Adding certain proportions of oil will prevent the paint from being underbound.

[Allan Rahbek]

I believe that it makes sense to name "Mayer's Medium" a medium because it is a mixture of oil and turps used to mix into the paint to control the workability of the tube paint.

I work mostly wet into wet over a thin wash of paint diluted with Vegetable Turpentine.

The "M's M" works better than using only turps when it is used as diluent in the paint.

The problem with "only" turps is that it makes the paint more lean and, in addition, it's difficult to control the viscosity of the paint using only turps, it becomes easily too thin and the turps evaporate too fast. The Stand Oil compensate for those three disadvantages.

It is correct that it's primarily for thinning purposes that I use it, but I find that it fairly neutral to the original tube paint composition.

When the painting is dry I will varnish it with a removable varnish.

[Marvin Mattelson]

Allan, personally, I avoid using Damar for any purpose whatsoever and make this a major point when advising my students of prudent choices for the best archival painting methods. Damar yellows and gets more brittle as it ages.

Unlike linseed oil, in which the yellowing can be reversed upon exposure to natural light, Damar's effects are irreversible. When used as a final varnish it becomes increasingly more difficult to remove and requires extremely powerful solvents to accomplish this. Many a great painting has been ruined through ill fated attempts at it's removal when used as a varnish. I just don't see the up side.

The vast majority of old master paintings have no evidence of Damar, or any resin for that matter, in the paint layers. From the 18th Century on there was a lot of speculation going on regarding the make-up of artist's mediums, particularly regarding artists from the 17th century.

Fortunately, modern science has disproved the bulk of this conjecture, so we can make better decisions than far too many of our forbearers.

[Jonathan Aller]

I am wondering Marvin, what do you use for archival purposes for your paintings if its not Dammar Varnish? Or what do you seal your paintings with?

[Marvin Mattelson]

I use Gamvar by Gamblin. I add 1 1/2 tsp of their beeswax medium to the varnish. I heat the beeswax in a double boiler and add the varnish mix to it. Hope this helps.

[Jonathan Aller]

Thanks Marvin for the tip! Do you add this 6 months after the painting is done or a year or right away?

[Marvin Mattelson]

Somewhere between the two depending on the specific painting and circumstances. Ideally a year is better.