Recently, my buddy Jose turned me onto mixing my own pigments. The immediate difference I noticed was the quality of the paint being nice and buttery, the colors full and saturated. I decided to learn more and pick up a few more colors, so I made a visit to Sinopia, in San Francisco.
I was a bit of a kid in a candy store, conjuring up possibilities, being surrounded by shelves with an array of pure pigments. I was surprised to learn the costs being significantly lower than some store labels and of the variety/quality of colors available. I strangely felt as if some Renaissance master might be looking over my shoulder and I might be reconnecting with some missing link to painting, or maybe it was just my imagination, Jose and security camera.
Shelves of cadmiums/ultramarines and earthtones.
The goods to start with - a set of earthtones and a few other colors.
Mixing - adding in more pigment/linseed as needed. Only cold pressed linseed oil and pure pigment. No preservatives, additives or artificial flavoring.
Underpainting detail.
Here is a detail of one of the paintings I am currently working on. The LA Art Show is just around the corner...
Hope your holiday season is the best!
