Yellow Ochre: Hidden Light
Warming a mixture without changing the value, Yellow Ochre, as a natural yellow earth, adds hidden light to flesh tones or other nuanced mixtures.
This is especially true when Yellow Ochre is tinted with a traditional Flake White, creating a warm luminous glow due to the translucency of the lead white pigment and its gentle mixing characteristic. Flake White warmly enhances a natural yellow earth without overpowering it or adding opacity to the tint.
Old Man with Beard, by Rembrandt van Rijn, c. 1630, oil on panel, 7 x 6.8 inches, Private Collection
Our original Yellow Ochre shown here tinted with the Flake White compared with the new French Yellow Ochre also tinted with the Flake White.
Deeper and redder shades of natural yellow earth are achieved when the mined pigment is then heat treated, as seen in the comparison above.
The Milkmaid, by Johannes Vermeer, c. 1660, oil on canvas, 17.9 x 16.1 inches, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Our Cerulean Blue shown in a mixture with the French Yellow Ochre and the resulting green tinted with Flake White.
Our Cerulean Blue shown mixed with the French Yellow Ochre Pale and the resulting more neutral green tinted to delicate grays with the Flake White.
The subtle mixing qualities of Yellow Ochre are useful for creating delicate soft greens and greenish grays when tinted.
A Polish Nobleman, by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1637, oil on panel, 38⅛x 26 inches, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Our original Yellow Ochre tinted with Flake White and compared with our Italian Yellow Earth also tinted with the Flake White.
Natural yellow earth pigments vary by source since the pigment will sometimes contain other accessory minerals besides the natural iron oxide such as clay, quartz, or even mica. Many older mines grind the pigment coarsely following tradition and the aim to produce a more reflective, light scattering color. The Italian Yellow Earth is very glittery as a result of this tradition and its natural mineral composition.
Compared with our original Yellow Ochre, the Italian Yellow Earth is much cooler in mixing and an ideal choice for depicting the gleam of gold in a painting.
Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherfurd White (Mrs. Henry White), by John Singer Sargent, 1883, oil on canvas, 88⅝x 56⅝inches,
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Our original Yellow Ochre tinted with Flake White and compared with our French Golden Ochre.
The Astronomer, by Johannes Vermeer, c. 1668, oil on canvas, 19.6 x 17.7 inches, Louvre Museum
Our original Yellow Ochre tinted with Flake White and compared with the new French Yellow Ochre Pale.
The French Yellow Ochre Pale is the most transparent of the natural yellow earths and neutral in tone right out of the tube. Adding Flake White keeps it transparent but brings out a delicate pink undertone to create a subtle warm tint useful for turning form in a portrait or figurative painting in its suggestion of reflected light.
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This was amazing! Fun to read.
Hello Rose,
Thank you for your positive feedback, very helpful.
Thanks for visiting,
-Gail
I am really enjoying these new ads, have passed them on to my students who also are very enthusiastic abut them. I especially enjoy your choice of reproductions letting all of us appreciate the past accomplishments no matter what our painting style.
Thank you.
Hello Charles,
Thank you for your encouragement and positive feedback. It is so true that art from the past can be the spark of inspiration, no matter what your style or medium. Visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art, back in the day, is what inspired me to even think about being a painter and going to art school. I still remember the excitement of climbing up those front steps at the end of the Parkway in search of my favorite Cézannes!
Thank you again for your comment and sharing our posts with your students,
-Gail