Maya Blue Oil Paint

Description

Maya Blue is our exquisitely hand-crafted oil paint made with an extremely concentrated, high-quality single source pigment. Every tube is meticulously hand mulled, filled, and labeled using only pure cold-pressed walnut oil or linseed oil and the maximum amount of hand-ground and richly textured pigment.

Maya Blue is one of the most extraordinary pigments of the ancient world, created by combining the deep blue dye extracted from Indigofera suffruticosa (añil, a native Central American indigo plant) with the fibrous clay mineral palygorskite. The dye molecules bond at high heat with the channels of the clay, creating a pigment of unmatched brilliance, permanence, and cultural significance.

The resulting powder is a luminous sky-blue with subtle turquoise undertones. In painting, Maya Blue is semi-transparent, lightly granulating, and produces radiant, ethereal washes in watercolor and tempera. Its stability surpasses nearly all other natural organic–mineral pigments, retaining vibrancy for centuries even in tropical climates.

Key Features

Single Source Pigment: Each product features one pure pigment, chosen for its exceptional quality.

Handmade Artisanal Process: Crafted in small batches, our oil paints are hand mulled on a marble slab and hand filled in aluminum tubes to preserve the integrity of the pigment.

Maximum Pigment Load: Designed to provide maximum color saturation, our formula contains no artificial additives or fillers

Recommended Use: Best used with oil mediums to achieve optimal fluidity.

Pigment Information

Pigment Type: Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Pigment

Components: Indigo (Indigofera suffruticosa) + Palygorskite (fibrous magnesium aluminum silicate clay)

Suitable Mediums: Oil, Watercolor, Tempera, Fresco, Mixed Media

Lightfastness: Exceptional (virtually permanent)

Opacity: Semi-Transparent

Other Names: Añil Maya Blue, Indigo–Palygorskite Blue

Color Index Code: Natural (no CI designation; indigo CI = NB1 when unbound)

Pictured Artwork: "The Immaculate Conception" by Baltasar de Echave Ibiaf rom the Museo Nacional de Arte de Mexico.

Production Process

Our oil paints are created with passion and precision. The pigment is carefully hand mulled and then mixed with pure cold-pressed walnut oil, ensuring an exceptionally concentrated and vibrant product. The entire process is carried out by hand—from mixing and mulling to filling and labeling—so you can be confident in the artisanal quality of every tube.

Usage & Care

Please store in a secure area away from children and pets, and dispose of any waste in an environmentally friendly manner in accordance with all local, state, and national regulations.

If you have any questions or need further information, please don’t hesitate to contact us.