Why Oil Paint is So Expensive
Oil paint is simple. At its most basic, it's just a mixture of oil and pigment. But depending on the color and quality, a liter of this paint could cost you $285 to $1,100. While the rise of oil paint is associated with the Renaissance, paintings using poppy-seed oil have been dated as far back as seventh-century Afghanistan.
“Oil paint is simple. At its most basic it’s just a mixture of oil and pigment. But depending on the color and quality a liter of this paint could cost you between $285 and $1,000. So what is that makes this paint so special and why is it so expensive?”
When I began to learn to to paint, I was shocked at the expense of artist colors–whether oil, acrylic, or water color. At first, I would put out tiny dabs of color afraid of wasting the precious pigments. Over the years I’ve overcome the reluctance to put out the amount of color I need. Still, from time to time I do have these heart-stopping moments when I stop to think of the per dollar cost of each dab squeezed out onto my palette.
This video from Business Insider does an excellent job explaining why the colors we use are so expensive.
