Seasoning your paintings

[Cynthia Botter Houppert]

Obviously, to be successful in the art market, the artist has to be
prolific enough to create a consistent body of work. In galleries,
Internet or land-based, a body of work means, depending on the size,
around 10 or 12 pieces for inventory. Since museums expect a gallery
solo show from the artist every other year, (the reasoning behind the
ideal number of 24 artists in a land-based gallery) the contemporary
artist is expected to complete vast amounts of work within the
shortest time period. Furthermore, the collector requires that the
work maintain its permanence. In acquiring work of heirloom quality,
it is anticipated that the work will exist for the following
generation without having to resort to the expense of art conservators
replacing cracking, peeling paint.

The question is how to produce that much work in the shortest time
period and maintain the quality. For oil painters, the issue is
drying time. You are all aware of the work of the Old Masters and the
time they spent waiting for burnished glazes to dry before adding
another layer. You have noticed that their works that we see today
are riddled with craqulures and fissures on the picture's surface.
That is because paint films dry in layers. Exposure to atmospheric
conditions have caused the paint film to expand and contract, causing
tiny breaks in the surface.

Thanks to modern chemistry, the oil painter often seasons the paint
mixture with metallic salt (driers), to speed up the drying process
and a dash of Dammar varnish for flexibility. Metallic salts, derived
from cobalt or manganese, are cooked in linseed oil or naphtha. Used
sparingly, less than 1% to the painting mixture, Cobalt Linoleate
accelerates the drying and oxidation of paint film by as much as eight
to ten hours. Subject to darkening and yellowing, used in excess it
creates a sticky paint that does not work well on Impasto or thick
paint.

To counter the cracking that comes with using a drier, Dammar varnish
is used to give the paint film flexibility. An organic substance
derived from the Dammar fir is tapped from the tree. It should be
noted that if using the organic version of Dammar in the paint mixture
a synthetic version should be used, for the final varnish or vice
versa, to avoid the paint lifting at cleaning time.

Dammar varnish, when used alone, creates a brittle surface and linseed
or stand oil dries with a soft, oily finish. Combined, they compensate
for the other's weakness. Turpentine is then added to make the thick
mixture more fluid and brushable. Alla Prima paintings finished in
"one sitting" can use the following recipe. To accelerate the drying
time, add 10 - 15 drops of Cobalt Linoleate drier for a well-seasoned
painting that will stand the test of time.

2 parts dammar
2 parts linseed oil
2 parts gum spirit turpentine

The formula is by volume using the 5# cut solution of Dammar. Clifford
T. Chieffo provides an excellent source on the chemical properties of
paints, oils and solvents in The Contemporary Oil Painter's Handbook,
Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliff, NJ.

Cynthia Botter Houppert Mailto: cyn...@cowboyenterprises.com
Author, Art Gallery Safari: Bagging the Big One
Learn 18 Rules for Survival in the Art Marketing Jungle
http://www.cowboyenterprises.com/id34.htm