Mediums

[Catherine Ingleby]

I am very interested in the various mediums that are used, namely in the components that go into them and the different benefits/disadvantages. I use a medium that is one part refined turps, one part canada balsalm and two parts sun thickened linseed oil.

I find this to be the most effective when blending or softening as it will drag a sufficent amount of paint without losing the the shapes or contours. It tends to just pull the uppermost layer of pigment. This medium is also ideal for glazes and dries quickly enough that the same area can be glazed over the following day without risk of an opaque or cloudy effect from the paint underneath.

I tend to dilute this madium with refined turps when laying in and to use less in the final stages of the painting as I put down impasto highlights.It also works well as a re-touch varnish when the paint sinks into the canvas.

The only disadvantage of this medium is that, if too heavily used, it can make the painting slick and oily. This makes the surface far harder to paint on but can be remedied either by scraping down when wet or, if dry, sanded down with cuttlebone.

Please could anyone who makes their own medium tell me a bit more about which ingredients they use and why?