What the heck is Neo Megilp?
It all began when a conservation scientist at the Tate Gallery in London gave Robert Gamblin a sample of a painting medium used by the famous British painter J. M. W. Turner, and an idea was born.
Oil painting mediums, which allow artists to manipulate paint more easily with brushes or palette knives, are in demand by artists. Could Gamblin, paintmaker and founder of Gamblin Artists Colors Co, recreate a version of the medium known as "Megilp" which was used by Turner to create his luminous landscapes?
Original Megilp, used in 18th and 19th century Europe, was made from lead and boiled into oil and then combined with mastic varnish. It was subject to yellowing, darkening and brittleness caused by the lead and mastic as it aged.
Gamblin has created a contemporary oil painting medium for artists, based on the working properties of original Megilp. Neo Megilp is a soft gel formula that produces a luminous effect and allows paint to glide across the canvas.
"We have worked hard to create a medium with the same working properties as original Megilp," notes Robert Gamblin. "Neo Megilp retains the body of paint while decreasing viscosity, and can produce a luminous Turner-like atmosphere, suspending and supporting paint in a soft gel. And it is made from modern materials so that it will not turn yellow or dark as it did in the 17th and 18th centuries. Painters today are once again interested in producing a more luminous sheen on their canvases," says Gamblin. "Neo Megilp is the answer to their search."
** Purchase 3 tubes of Gamblin oil paint in September, and receive
One FREE 2 oz jar of Neo Megilp
Now you can glide your oil paint across your canvas! **
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