Iron Oxide as Pigment

The colors in my pigments are because of various combinations of iron oxide, for the most part. This gives me the browns, the yellows, oranges, and the reds. I have an earthy palette!

Hematite

The red colors are from an iron oxide compound called hematite. The closest color to a true red on my palette comes from hematite.

I call it ‘Blood of the Ozarks’. Not just because it is red like blood, but because ‘heme’ is the iron that allows our life blood to bind with oxygen.

Most people think of the shiny black stones when they think of hematite, because that’s what is sold in the rock, mineral, and crystal shops. But it comes in what’s called particulate form, too.

That’s what we have here – particulate hematite, and it’s the source of the most vivid red and orange on my palette.

Manganese

Manganese is another element that sometimes shows up here, in the form of purplish sandstones. Unfortunately, the paint barely retains any of the purple, leaning more towards brown in the end.

Carbon

Carbon gives color to the black and gray end of my palette’s spectrum. The black Fayetteville shale that offers a buttery smooth deep gray color is high in carbon. It also has sulfur compounds in it, but those are water soluble and removed with washing.

Sulfur isn’t desirable in paints, because it can cause reactions that may change the colors over time. It stinks while it’s wet, too.

Soot is mostly carbon, pure carbon when it’s clean soot. This one gives me a deep black color.

Clay – Premium Grade Iron Oxide as Pigment

Red clay gives color to the ground, the sandstones, and sometimes it’s just chunks of pure red clay. My favorite way to find it is in those pure little soft balls of tumbled clay. Very little processing involved when I find it like that, but that doesn’t happen often.

Most of the time, the clay is full of rocks (mostly chert), leaves, and sticks. And in this case, a lot of washing and straining is involved.

When it comes to iron oxide as pigment, this source is the absolute best for a brilliant, smooth, orange oil paint color. It’s the only truly bright color on my palette of earthy colors.

Iron Oxide on a Boulder

An Earthy Rainbow of Color

While I have to buy blue and white for making my oil paints, the rest of my colors are locally sourced. I absolutely love working with this earthy rainbow, and I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little more about where the colors come from.