Hello,
About one month ago (quite accidently) I learned that a very affordable, locally-made artist grade (very high pigment load, minimal fillers) paint I’d been using for a few years uses dammar. This is before switching to, at the same price point, known and respected global brands’ mid-range and student paints. The price of these local paints is great, but most importantly: a very lightfast pigment selection and the colors are ultra-luminous (it is no longer mysterious how this is happening), but now I am worried about long-term consequences. I am only guesstimating: ~ 4-5% dammar per tube of 60ml.
I want my paintings to last 100+ years.
What can I do to combat any soon-to-manifest issues in my existing pieces? What types of damages can I look forward to / should I be looking out for, in the years to come?
The works are all unvarnished, for now.
Also: how can I safely use the remaining paint, or should I not?
I was imagining I could use it in a top layer, as a glaze, ontop of non-dammar-based oil paints. Is this advisable at all if, say, it is mixed with some other medium? Maybe Pebeo’s acrylic based medium (for oils)? Or perhaps liquin?
https://en.pebeo.com/catalogue/famille/oil-auxiliaries/oil-auxiliaries-200-ml-xl-colourless-painting-medium–937115OIL AUXILIARIES 200 ML XL COLOURLESS PAINTING MEDIUM► Colorless XL Painting MediumProperties: Alkyd resin based, Good resistance to yellowing, Cleaning : Mineral spirits or turpentine
(I have no idea how foolish this last suggestion is, I am just brainstorming out loud.)
Thank you very much, so few people exist in real life and online to discuss these topics…
Hello there,
It’s not exactly that dammar is poison, but like every other parameters it will affect the ageing in different ways. You’re looking at the tip of the iceberg here.
The first parameters for your paintings to last a hundred years are indeed colour wise the quality of the pigments and the quality of the linseed oil in which they’re dispersed.
Dammar like any other soluble resin gives a faster touch-dry sensation to the layers, but in exchange diminishes the capacity for crosslinking and can in worst cases impede drying altogether. It can make the film more brittle in some cases as well. But 5% isn’t the worst.
Don’t expect your dry paint to be as impervious to solvents as it could be, but you should still expect it to dry to a good solidity without shattering in flakes.
The worst things to do, to wreck your painting chances to age well are actually less in the materials than they are in the painting process. to paint 2mm thick coat in one go and paint the next layer over as thick it when it’s just touch dry, then varnish on top of that when it’s just touch dry. There you can be sure it won’t last long. Reverse that logic and paint thinly and give plenty of time for your layers to dry, that’s the best you can do.
Respect the fat over lean rule as much as possible. Dilute your dammar “contaminated” colours with reliable drying colours from other brands (earth colours and phthalos). Don’t worry too much about the little dammar resin in there.
And do triple check your painting is actually dry and reasonnably solvent impervious before you varnish it. Too many artists ruin their work and their longevity there ironically. You’re better with a non varnished paint than a wrongly varnished one. Keep on the back of your painting some additional cards of the same substrate with the palettes leftovers sprayed on top to test your varnishes as well.
For reaching the hundred years milestone, again it’s less about materials than it is about process. If your pigments are good, they may not be impervious to fire nonetheless. And a painting lasting centuries in a museum may not last a decade in the outdoors. So the key elements are not in what you paint with but how it’s stored over time. You want to keep humidity and temperature as still as possible, avoid direct sunlight and unecessary handling.
Paint over metal sheets, costly and heavy as hell (and don’t recover from scratches) but it’s more mechanically stable (less breathing movements) than wood or cloth. So the pictural layer on it will suffer less mechanical stress than it will on wood and even lesser than it will on cloth. If you settle for wood, treat it well. If you settle for cloth, invest in the better kinds and seal the back as well before painting.
Then stick to the back of your painting notes with instructions about the materials you used and process you used, times of drying and everything you can think off, especially about the varnish.
It’s for the restorers who will come next and will bless your name for doing what too little artists do. Keeping reliable notes to help them rejuvenate your ageing painting and renew its varnish.
Cause unfortunately a truth of centuries old longevity in oil paintings is that last trick.
Paint well,
Lussh
Thank you so much for your detailed response. I will follow your suggestions to the fullest, to ensure the longevity of my work. The idea of “diluting the contaminant” with other non-dammar paint is a great idea, and i’ll be sure to only utilize rigid paneling/wood (or, if I can find them, adequate metal sheets) in instances where I use these paints in said “diluted” mixture.
The wood locally available to me is: Lindin/Basswood, Pine, Beech, so hopefully one of these will work.
Thanks again!
“For reaching the hundred years milestone, again it’s less about materials than it is about process.”
I don’t agree with this. My question is:
If damar makes for an inferior paint film, why is it there at all? Are the benefits more important than the drawbacks?
Materials and process are two different things. Both are important for art longevity.
Latest Post: How can I prevent plywood surface checking from damaging paint layer–will paper or sheer fabric work? Our newest member: Jaslyvop Recent Posts Unread Posts
