Perry Johnson » Color

Raw Umber - Old Holland

Perry — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:07:03 +0000

Raw Umber

This Raw Umber is decidedly yellow but grays out quickly when tinted. The strength of the color is preserved in scumbles or glazes.

Bismuth Yellow - Winsor & Newton

Perry — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:56:41 +0000

Bismuth Yellow

From what I understand, Bismuth Yellow comes from the automotive coatings industry. This is common; artists consume a minuscule amount of pigment when compared to industry. This may become a replacement for Cadmium Lemon, we’ll see.

Translucent Brown Oxide - Schmincke Mussini

Perry — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:44:17 +0000

Trans. Oxide Brown

I remember using this color in a still life when I was about 12 years old. I struggled to render a reflection in a tabletop. After much repainting, I went to my professor for help. He said “Man, I sometimes have to put two or three layers on the thing before I get it right.” This was less than encouraging because at that point I already had about eight layers down.

The color is a rich, high saturation mahogany that tints strong. When mixed with a Phthalo blue, it makes an inky black. Mussini has always been my go-to brand for this color.

Stil de Grain - Williamsburg

Perry — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:28:39 +0000

Stil de Grain

This color is a variant of Yellow Ochre but it is quite transparent and coarsely ground. It’s not remarkable in mass tone but it really comes alive when rubbed or scrubbed.

The name Stil de Grain has in the past referred to fugitive organic pigments.

Delft Blue - Utrecht

Perry — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:14:25 +0000

Delft Blue - Utrecht

Cobalt Violet Deep - Blue Ridge

Perry — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:21:16 +0000

Cobalt Violet Deep - Blue Ridge

Green Earth - Bocour - Bellini

Perry — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:06:38 +0000

Green Earth - Bocour Bellini

This tube came to me by way of a retiring painter. The tube has seen better days and Bocour is no longer in business but the paint inside seems to be just fine. I appreciate that this Green Earth isn’t pumped up with phthalocyanine. It’s a weak tinter and not very attractive but in the right context, it can be just the color!

I’ve posted a link to an interview with Leonard Bocour at Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art. Bocour made a line of mineral spirit soluble acrylics called Magna. Golden Acrylics has the formulas now.

Mars Yellow - Holbein

Perry — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:16:35 +0000

This isn’t the usual PY42 Mars Yellow. The color is a very clean and warm. Though my tube indicates PY119, there are some sources that cite Holbein’s Mars Yellow as PBr11.

Ultramarine Blue Deep - Blue Ridge

Perry — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:10:11 +0000

A nicely done staple on the palette.

Lapis Lazuli - DaVinci Paint

Perry — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:02:04 +0000

A gritty low tinter but you don’t use lapis for tinting strength. It’s delicate and its crystalline transparency makes for some nicely rubbed out glazes.