I’m trying to evaluate the degree of risk associated with inluding one frequently used colour bound in safflower oil (a white paint for example) in a palette where the rest of the colours are bound in linseed oil and the paintings are on rigid panels.
Your document on mediums states that paints bound in safflower oil yield a “slightly weaker film” than those bound in linseed oil. I can see how this would be an issue when painting on stretched fabric where the paint needs to withstand flexing but is this less of an issue when painting on a rigid surface?
Secondly, colours are rarely used without being mixed with other colours. If only one of the paints on the palette contains safflower oil does that also reduce risk?
Thank you, as always, for your valued advice.
Oil colors bound in safflower oil seem to be resilient enough since they were introduced in the 20th century. Other oils may make slightly stronger films but you should be all right using safflower bound paints on both canvas and panel if you are follwing sound technique. It is true that safflower oil is sometimes described as a semi-drying oil and a drying oil in other places. Proper selection of the type of oil by the color manufacturer should ensure a quality paint.
Yes, the mixing of colors also creates a paint with mixed attributes. How this works out in practice is still not completely understood and a 50/50 mixture of two colors does not automatically mean that the qualities of the paint film are an exact middle point between the two colors. In short, though, you should be all right.
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