Oiling Out & Sinking-In: What’s Happening and What to Do

June 25, 2026 10:00 AM PT A passage goes flat overnight. The darks lose depth, the surface looks chalky, and the painting no longer reads the way it did wet. This is sinking-in, and it is one of the most common reasons artists reach for oiling out — often without a clear picture of what either condition actually is. This session examines sinking-in as a material event: oil migrating into an absorbent layer below, leaving pigment particles less optically saturated at the surface. We will look at what makes a ground or underlayer absorbent, when oiling out is the right response and when it introduces new problems, what to brush on and how thin, and where retouch varnish fits in. The objective is a working decision framework — not a single recipe applied to every situation.