Painting

Walnut oil has been used by oil painting artists from before the 5th century for diluting their paint and for binding their pigments. In much more recent times Jan van Eyck used walnut oil, for example in his painting of Margarete van Eyck (1439) illustrated here. During his stay in Italy Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) studied Italian oil paint composition and made his own improvements using walnut oil warmed with litharge and adding other ingredients.

The advantages of walnut oil versus linseed oil have been debated for years, but if an artist wants an oil that does not yellow, and that dries at a slower rate than linseed oil (allowing for more working time) and which does not crack when dry, walnut oil is the one to use. It is superb for smooth painting, when brush strokes should not intrude. Walnut oil is paler than linseed oil and allows for more vibrant whites.

It is true that the earliest and still most commonly used vehicle for oil painting is linseed oil. Modern processes use heat or steam to produce refined varieties of oil, which contain fewer impurities, but cold-pressed oils, such as cold-pressed walnut oil, are still favoured by some artists.

Nowadays, when we are overloaded with chemicals and toxins, Wellwood cold-pressed walnut oil is toxic solvent free. Without the use of turpentine, citrus oils or other solvents, free-flowing walnut oil gives the artist immaculate control over using his or her paint.