Put your paint on ice - Page 2

Linda Brandon · 11-08-2002, 11:27 AM

Hi there, Michelle,

Thanks for the info. The landscape painter Scott Christiansen buys empty paint tubes from Daniel Smith art supply and fills them up with leftover neutrals. He separates his neutrals into cool neutrals and warm neutrals so they aren't total mud. The tubes are open at the crimp end so while it isn't quite as hard as forcing toothpaste back into the tube it is still not as easy as it looks. I tried to do this for a while but eventually gave up.

Thanks, folks, for the preservation tips. I'll try the freezer idea again. The last time I tried it I didn't label the container and one of the foraging sugar addicts in my household thought they were little piles of icing... and ate them. Yes, this is a true story.

Timothy C. Tyler · 11-08-2002, 11:38 AM

May I offer something? Paint is cheap when compared to your time and more importantly, the end result of your effort. I have enough Scots in me to be economical and I've tried the covering of my palette with plastic, which works the best if I have huge complex mixes out and I need them for the next day.

If you take a $7.00 tube of paint and note how much paint that really is, you will see how little you waste by keeping a clean palette. It's better to be wise in how much paint you put out to start with. I don't understand why Schmid makes his own easels or Scott C. saves left-over neutrals. They both make over $250.00 an hour while painting. You can buy neutrals and easels...certainly they can.

Michael Fournier · 11-08-2002, 02:16 PM

Tim,

I can't speak for Schmid but I know why I made my own easel. It is custom the way I want it. And I also have a hard time giving money to someone else for something I feel I can do as well or better. I also enjoy working with wood.

Another thing is I just have a desire to know how the things I use work and that goes from my heating system, to my computer and my car. I almost never call a plumber or carpenter when I need work in my home but I also know my limitations so far I have not exceeded them. I hate working on cars although I could do the work I just don't want to anymore.

I was told once that it is more economical to pay someone for their expertise and spend your time doing what you do to earn your money but sometimes I just can't help myself. Besides we all need a hobby and since my profession is what others might have as a hobby I do what others consider a profession as my hobby.

Back to the topic. Putting oil paint in the freezer keeps it from hardening for two reasons. One is that modern freezers are almost airtight boxes so the amount of oxygen is limited. But more important is that the chemical reaction that causes oil paint to cure is slowed or even stopped at the low temp. I do not think the paint actually freezes since there is no water in oil paint but the oil in it just gets very thick at the cold temperature. But it returns to normal when it warms. Now the water drops that form after you take it out are from the moisture in the air condensing on the cold mounds of paint. They should evaporate away as it warms unless you are in a very humid environment. It will not mix in to the paint oil and water don't mix.

As for Ralph Mayer's advice he is correct but the point of putting it in the freezer is to stop that oxidation. Also the more you thin oil paint at all with thinner be it a mineral spirit based or turps the more you weaken it even if it was not oxidized. Now it is my opinion that once oil paint cures you can't thin it back to it's original form even with oil. But most oils cure from the outside in so if you dig through the dried crust the paint inside is still fresh because the outside crust cuts off the oxygen and slows the curing. Oil paint does dry (like water based paints) some since the oil can evaporate but if that was all that was happening you could just add oil to dried paint and it would be like new. But most of the oil do not evaporate, they cure and once that happens you cannot reverse it. Well maybe some chemist at MIT might know of a way to reverse it but I don't know of any way.

Timothy C. Tyler · 11-09-2002, 12:08 AM

Good points all.

Steven Sweeney · 11-09-2002, 01:37 AM

Quote:

They both make over $250.00 an hour while painting.

That's interesting. I'd like to know what other artists "make" per hour. Can you share the source of your information?

Timothy C. Tyler · 11-09-2002, 01:35 PM

Well, it's math. Schmid does a small painting in less than one day. Those start at $15,000. the math is easy. Scott C. figures are as easy to figure too. Both numbers I listed are modest/conservative.

Michael Fournier · 11-09-2002, 04:59 PM

Tim, That is assuming every painting sells. I am sure R. Schmid's paintings eventually sell since his work is in demand. But it does not sell at the end of the day he painted it. So yes you can roughly figure a hourly rate but it does not take in to account all the time that goes into their art. But I sure would love to be at the point R. Schmid is in his career. It almost does not matter what he paints now it will still sell. The last time I was on his web site the painting for sale was a small landscape study that probably took him less then 2-3 hours to paint and is was priced at $15,000.

Michael Georges · 11-11-2002, 12:36 AM

Quote:

The last time I was on his web site the painting for sale was a small landscape study that probably took him less then 2-3 hours to paint and is was priced at $15,000.

Oh please, please give me that problem!

What can I say Tim, I just hate wasting paint. Some days, there are piles I have not even dipped into or maybe just a little. It seems such a shame to just scrape it off and throw it in the trash. The freezer solution gives me one more day to use it. I don't recommend freezing more than one or two days at most.