BLOCKX Oil Paints 500 ml

Already in 1865, his painter friends were desperate to find the good colors of the past. They were no longer making colors themselves in their workshops and, at that time, paints were starting to be offered by a new industry. It was for these painters that Jacques BLOCKX, a wealthy chemist, went to work.

To quote Salvator Dali, writing about Jacques Blockx the founder in "50 secrets of craftmanship" : "This man who never painted, will contribute more to the painters of tomorrow than what we will have accomplished, all the modern painters together".

In his book "Compendium" published in 1926 he wrote " In a word, I reject every colour which does not possess the requisite qualities for ensuring complete permanence in artistic painting".
As nice they can be, we never indeed prepare transient or unstable shades.
About the quality of ingredients used for making pigments he wrote on his order form around 1890 : "My products are certified chemically pure. Liquid are sold with my registred signature. Our quality is guaranteed!"

More than 100 years later, analyses made by official laboratories worldwide on paintings confirm it.

Jacques BLOCKX IV writes on color charts : "We do not, and never have done, prepare transient or unstable shades. A classification by degree of stability would, therefore, be out of place". He will also add about watercolor : "I guarantee maximum stability against light, of all my shades, which will insure, through time, your talent as a watercolor painter through your works of art".

It is this very legacy of the finest quality artists colors always slowly ground on stone mills that the 5th generation guarantee and offer you today.

The pioneer spirit is intact.

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FINEST QUALITY ARTISTS' OILS COLORS

Still handground in the Blockx tradition with slowly rotating stone mills, our extra-fine artists' colors are made from the finest selection of pigments and oil.

Only pure pigment is used for maximum lightfastness, buttery consistency and easy mixing on the canvas itself.

All colors have a minimum lightfast rating 7 out of 8 on the blue wool scale. So they all can be considered perfectly lightfast.
Iron oxides, earths and blacks are ground with linseed oil. All other pigments are ground with poppyseed oil which is well-known for its lack of yellowing and the non-forming of wrinkles at the time of the drying.

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THE MAKING OF BLOCKX FINEST OILS:

Mixing
Pigments, oil, generally poppyseed oil, and specific ingredients are pre-mixed according to their particular nature to achieve the best paste for milling.

Grounding
The paste is ground on a three roll mill made of stone rolls, to preserve the purity of paints, rotating at low speed to avoid heating.
This operation is conducted 3 or 4 times-each time reducing the size of particles-allowing us to fill the tube immediately to preserve all the qualities of the paint.

Testing
Besides the long experience of the craftsman, numerous checks are made of particle size, consistency, drying time, density, and so more.
A sample of each batch is carefully kept for years.

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Artists say...

"let me just say that the paints are wonderful ! - and they are facilitating my work... The consistency of your paints and the beautiful purity of your colors has facilitated the wet into wet painting... I am coming to understand the consistency of your paints, the purity of your colors and the way the colors you make relate to each other and your amber products as all part of a beautiful, sensitively designed whole. It all combines to form a wonderful painting system ! Thank you Jacques and thank you to the previous generations of your family for the sincerity and integrity of your efforts. They have produced tremendous results" J.H, US

"I am writing to say how delighted I am with your paints. The colours are really wonderful to use, so clear and bright they are a joy to use, especially for painting flowers." J.W, UK

"I'm sitting here this morning looking at the painting I am currently working on.The image is of 2 large office tower buildings standing side by side in the morning sun. The face or stone surface of one of the buildings is largely painted with a simple mixture of your cadmium yellow, and cadmium red, and your whites ( titanium and flake). I have never been able to achieve this degree of vibrancy or life from such a yellow/pink mixture before. It is just one example of, or case in point regarding, how your colors are helping me to get where I want to go in my work. It occurred to me to say thank you." J.H, US