Description
From the range of Native Earths by Wallace Seymour, this is yet again totally unique and very special. It is hand dug close to where they are based in Yorkshire, England, crushed, washed and ground with oil into paint while maintaining the texture of the pigment.
Real, authentic, paint.
Moughton Whetstone is an unusual and beautiful rock (see the image above). It is banded with Iron Oxide caused by the rhythmic precipitation of the iron through the rock, although the process causing these beautiful patterns in not fully understood. Iron oxide is fundamental in so much paint, so not surprisingly this rock produces a delightful hue and excellent oil paint.
Its hue is like a very slightly greyed Raw Sienna, brownish yellow with a semi-transparent opacity (to me the swatch appears much browner than the reality). You can feel the pigment in the paint under the knife and on the canvas, making it tactile and the paint feels so much more 'alive'. Like most earth pigments it is a gentle tinter.
Given the work involved and the quality of the final product, this paint represents excellent value.
Technical Overview
Pigment - Iron oxide/Moughton Whetstone
Opacity - Semi-Transparent
Binder - Linseed Oil
Munsell - Hue 7.5 YR - Value 6 - Chroma 6
