Pour Paintings

Heaven's Gate

oil on panel 12″x12″

“Viscosity” Pour Painting

My technique is based on the “simultaneous color printing” method devised by Stanley Hayter (1901-1988) in his etchings and lithographs. Hayter found that oil colors of different consistency not only did not blend, but they repelled each other. I pour oil colors of different viscosities onto a flat panel, and by tilting and manipulating the flow, I can control and create the image.

89 thoughts on “Pour Paintings”

  1. Pingback: Viscosity Pour Painting « Maurice Sapiro Studio Gallery

    • The secret in thining is to have the colors mixed in varied dilutions. I use mineral spirits mixed with Liquin (Winsor Newton product) in various proportions as a basic thinner, stirred into the pigment until it is pourable. As long as the proportion of dilution in the different colors remains unequal, the paint will repel adjacent colors. I keep a spray bottle of mineral spirits handy, to break down the repelling action, where needed, to allow the colors to blend. I found that the mixture amounts are not critical, as long as each color has a diferent viscosity. It’s a lot easier to do than explain. Hope this gets you started. Thanks for looking.

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      • Maurice, would you mind please telling us what surfaces you use for these pour paintings? I suppose something with a smoother surface than a canvas?
        Thank you in advance!

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      • Elena, I use pressboard, (sometimes referred to as Masonite), The primer is gesso, applied with a smooth nap roller, and sanded before the pour is attempted. I did a large pour painting, “Yellow Cloud” 38″x32″ which is on canvas. Here I troweled on thick gesso to smooth the surface. You are right—a smooth surface is needed.

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  16. Several of these I was sure were photos of lava when I first looked. Lately I’ve looked into similar pour techniques with watercolor but this is the first I’ve heard of it being done with oil paint. I’ll try this. 🙂

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  17. aargh I don’t know how to message you as me instead of lovers orchard, which is an entirely different blog site! But wanted to say I really enjoyed your paintings, your landscapes are really my kind of thing!! 🙂 (carolyn morris)

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  23. These are so cool that I had to pin them. I enjoyed viewing your landscapes as well, definitely got the Turner thing going on. Thanks for following my blog. I’ll be following your work too.

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  25. Really beautiful and your work is “Turner like” lovely sense of color and airy space. I’ve done this with Acrylics but never oil! Must try soon. I love your landscapes too so peaceful and iridescent.

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  37. I just looked at your work under portfolio but could not find a way to respond or comment, so, I’m doing it here. Everything I saw was beautiful. Full of energy and motion. Wonderful. Enjoyed it so very much. Thank you.

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  41. More spectacular works! Mr McArthur (above) had a similar reaction to mine: much here looks celestial and interstellar. I also see a lot of lava flows! Gorgeous stuff, no matter what I see in it.

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  42. Great technique! I learned about viscosity printing when I started hanging out with printmakers, and have some friends that do watercolour pour paintings, but have never seen anyone do this with oils Wonderful results — someone further up in the comments said “Turner-like” and that’s exactly what I have thought about your work. Lovely.

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  44. Gorgeous work, dynamic and vibrant! You mention adding liquin and mineral spirits to get the oil paint “pourable.” Do you use tube paints? Because it seems as though the mixing of large amounts of color would be tedious. Do you mix large batches in containers? Thanks for your advice on this.

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      • Thanks so much for the prompt reply! I love it when artists are also good at “taking care of the business” of art. Do you use glass or metal 8 oz bottles? I’m wondering if plastic will react with the mineral spirits/liquin/oil paint mix? Thanks for having patience with these questions.

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  45. It’s best to use glass. I’m using old sauce jars with metal lids. After I sent the last answer, I checked and found t’m using 16 ounce bottles. The dilution is important—lumps disrupt the process. Good luck!

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    • Thank you for such a generous amount of information. I’m excited to play with this. I’ve always worked with realism, but it’s good to get outside our comfort boxes and explore…you are an inspiration!

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  50. Your work is truly inspiring and these pour paintings are simply stunning. I adore texture and when I saw these I wondered if you used acrylic mediums to get that surface texture. I love oils but suffer from MCS thus haven’t yet been brave enough tho have bought what i think i can use given my limits, namely no odor turp, liquin, tho really, I don’t know what I’m talking about … YET! 😉

    I’m happy to have found your site and plan to read everything here. Many Blessings…

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    • Thanks for commenting, and thanks for your kind words. I did not use any acrylic mediums to obtain the texture. It’s all the result of the various oil mixtures. Somewhere in my blog I mention my allergies that caused headaches, finally narrowed it down to the odor of Linseed oil, and turps. Switched to Liquin and odorless mineral spirits, with success .My blessings in return. Maurice

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  51. You are very nice to share all of your information. It must have taken you a lot of practice to tell us what you are doing now. I really think it is great that you share!! What you are doing is beautiful. You are beautiful on the inside also.

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  52. I came across your page by accident, because I was looking at acrylic pouring sites. Your work is lovely! There is just a nice richness of colors with oils, that acrylics can’t quite compete with 🙂. Maybe some day I’ll get brave enough to try your technique!

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  54. I am wanting to fluid paint my metal counter tops at work with oil paint. Do I need to add turpentine to it? Or is there something else to make it thinner?

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  55. Thank you so much Maurice for your inspirational beautiful breathtaking creations. I came across this when looking for Oil pour techniques as I use oils not acrylics.

    Firstly thank you for your information about odourless mineral spirits and liquin. I have been struggling to find something to replace the overbearing odour of turpentine and white spirits etc which is what they taught us with in art class.

    I was hoping you may have the time to answer a question of mine. When you say you mix different viscosities, do you mean different viscosities of the mineral spirit and liquin (before added to the paint?), or do you mean exactly the same viscosity of spirit and liquin but in varying amounts in the pigment, therefore resulting in a different in each pigment having a different viscosity?

    I appreciate in advance your reply.

    Much appreciation and thanks and also Wow! For your absolutely stunning artworks, such an inspiration ❤ ❤

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    • Thank you ! I vary the proportions of of Liquin and mineral spirits. I just discovered that odorless mineral spirits are no longer available, in our attempt at a greener world. Not sure what I will do \in the future.

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      • Thank you so much Maurice for your reply, very much appreciated. Very happy I have a formula to attempt this technique 😃.

        Thank you for telling me odourless mineral spirit is no longer available. I shall see if I can find an alternative! 🙂 Maya

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  56. How have these paintings held up over time? I’ve read a lot of people saying that adding too much medium/solvent can cause oil paintings to become unbound causing them to flake or chalk off the canvas. It’s prevented me from being more experimental with oil paint in the past. However, these paintings are beautiful. I tend to work in more fine, technical detail, but am finding myself drawn to more expressionist techniques. I’d love to play around with a technique like this and would appreciate any advice! Thank you for sharing your breathtaking work!

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    • Thanks for your kind comments. I have not experienced any problems, even with the paintings that are 25 years old. No cracking, or pealing. II pour( for most of them, ) on panels, with a gesso base. Even the few I did on canvas are as fresh as the day I poured them. I was using Liquin and oderless mineral spirits to dilute the tube oils, Good luck !

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      • Thank you for being so generous with your knowledge and taking the time to answer me! After writing this question, I realized I had a few more!

        – About how long did these paintings take to dry?
        – Do these paintings have various sheen throughout (some parts more matte, some more glossy)?
        – And when your paintings are finished do you varnish them at all or leave them as is?

        I really appreciate the advice. And am excited to start experimenting. Thanks again!

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      • 1) I leave them lying flat overnight. Then, one or two more days, and they are dry.

        2) Here is something I should have mentioned. I do them “alla prima” all in one session. The surface is one skin, (as Whistler used to say). so it dries and binds as one unit. That’s the reason they never chip, flake, of crack.

        3) so I leave the surface alone. It dries to a uniform semi-gloss, just right !

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  57. Hi Maurice, I just came across your works from online exploration of acrylic flow painting. Your works are gorgeous – especially like your luminous landscapes and skyscapes! I do have a couple of questions on your oil pour works – so apologies if you’ve already answered. Do you use are specific brand of oils for your pours and do you have a specific ratio of paint to medium to achieve your results? I’m keen to experiment. And, by the way your pours are gorgeous too! Didn’t know oils could compete (and surpass) the effects from acrylics! ~~Mike

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    • Thanks Mike, The effects I achieved was due to the various dilutions of pigment to medium. If paint with a low viscosity meets a paint with a high viscosity, they repel each other, and not blend. I use Liquin and Oderless Mineral Spirits, in various proportions to dilute the pigment . Good luck !

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