Anyone who knows me knows that one of my hot button issues is premium-priced art supplies that are actually inferior, or, as is often the case, pure crap. So don’t get me started.
Recently I opened a bottle of black oil from Williamsburg. Although the bottle had been purchased some time back, to my disgust, the oil had turned into a thick, black blob of goo. Even on this badly-lit photo you can see the thick paste on the palette knife.
Bad, bad oil
I don’t know what Williamsburg did, but black oil is supposed to stay liquid–stay an oil. Compare Williamsburg’s product to this ancient bottle of black oil from David Davis. The bottle from David Davis must be–what?–20 years old or more (notice the Mercer St. address). The bottle had been misplaced in an out-of-the-way location and lost to view for many years. Even so, you can tell the oil is still that–oil.
Still good after all this time
Williamsburg was purchased by the acrylic paint maker Golden in 2009 and no longer make black oil. I use their outstanding oil paints a lot but something misfired with their black oil. It’s worthless. Whenever a small manufacturer is bought out it’s a cause for concern.