Oil painters are spoilt for choice at Artsavingsclub. The range of student oil paints is growing and the quality of the paints are improving too. No doubt it is a highly competitive market as paint manufacturers try to get their share of the painting enthusiast’s budget. Recently Artsavingsclub added Maimeri’s Classico range of oil paints to their lineup. The choice of best value student oil paint may have become easier to make.

Who are Maimeri?

A good question since this paint manufacturer is not very well known in South Africa. Founded in 1923 in Italy by painter Gianni Maimeri and his chemist brother Carlo Maimeri the company aimed to provide excellent artist’s paint from the start. The factory has kept going through the upheavals of the twentieth century and continues to thrive today while still guided by the Maimeri family.

The Classico Range

This range of paints has been my favourite paint for the past ten years. The reason for that is simple. The paints deliver more than their position in the Maimeri range may suggest. I do think that these paints are competitive with expensive artist quality paints. The following characteristics are significant:

• The Classico paints are free from binders and fillers,
• The cadmiums contain real cadmium;
• The titanium white contains safflower oil instead of linseed oil;
• 60ml tubes are the perfect size

Strong Colour

I do insist on a vibrant colour. This is why I will often use artist quality paint, but with Classico, I can get the vibrancy I want without the expense. Pigment concentrations must indeed be stronger in high-end paints. Maimeri has their Artisti and flagship Puro ranges and they are excellent, but there is not a huge gap with Classico. This is the quality that makes me rate Classico so highly. The paint is strong in pigment and the user experience is no different from artist quality.

Beautiful Texture

The paint straight out the tube is ready to go, it is soft and buttery. No mediums are required to manipulate it into a buttery consistency. When you open the tube for the first time you are likely to see oil come out first. This is a natural process and evidence of a lack of binders. The last thing you want is paint that looks solid like toothpaste!

You will note the shiny oiliness of the paint, not a dull stiffness like cheaper paints. You can easily use a sable brush with this paint. I prefer bristle however and the paint works easily no matter what surface I paint on.

Range of Colours

There is a significant range of colours as you would expect, but with a few interesting colours too. Hues like Pozzuoli Earth giving a nod to the Italian masters and earth colours unique to Italy. An extensive range of reds, yellows and earthy colours invite one to paint in the Italian impressionist tradition. Perhaps you prefer an Old Master’s approach with classical portraits and glazing? All are possible with these colours.

Overall Impression

For the reasons already set out together with the reasonable price and generous tube quantity, I do suggest that Maimeri Classico is the best value student paint out there. The quality is high enough to meet professional standards too. For the enthusiast and serious student, this paint will not let you down. Maimeri Classico certainly deserves a larger awareness among artists looking for exceptional quality at a reasonable price.

The Paint Pro – Malcolm Dewey

Malcolm Dewey is a full-time artist living in South Africa. Together with a loose brushwork style Malcolm’s paintings are filled with light, colour and movement.
Malcolm’s favourite painting mediums are oils, acrylics and watercolour. He aims to describe his painting with an economy of shape, but without compromising on paint and generous brushwork.

Website: www.malcolmdeweyfineart.com

Instagram: @malcolmdeweyfineart

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