Parasites, poison, urine from mango leaf eating cows, petroleum—what’s the connection?
They are all bases for color pigments. The vivid red color Carmine is made from the cochineal insect, a parasite, still used in food and cosmetics as well as paint. Arsenic used to be made into Paris Green and mercury into Vermillion.
Both are linked to severe illness and poisoning, so have long been discontinued. The mango-eating cows were used to create Indian Yellow, although this too was discontinued in the early 20th century, as it led to malnourished cows. Hydrocarbons, a byproduct of crude oil, are used to create pigments through organic chemistry such as Anthraquinone Red, Quinopthaline Yellow, Benzimidazo Blue, Pthalocyanine Green Yellow and many other colors. Additionally, other sources of pigments include rocks, soil, metal oxides and mineral salts.
Some artists still hand grind their own pigments, following in the traditions of past artists going back to the Neanderthals, with current estimates suggesting the earliest rock paintings being 73,000 years old in South Africa. These artists claim superior quality, customization of medium that impacts viscosity, and most important of all, higher pigment loads. The downside is that these pigments can take up to a week to create and consistency is difficult to maintain over multiple batches. Today, many more artists buy their paint, ready to use from retailers, citing ease of use, accessibility of a wider range of colors and longevity in storage.
However, what do you really know about colors? Did you know that it can take up to 8-9 years to create a new color (chromophore)? It is so expensive to create a new color, that it is usually initiated only by large industrial corporations, for industries such as automotive and plastics. In fact, the last color created (that has since become available for consumer use) was in 2009—YInMn Blue—a color that is between Cobalt Blue and Ultramarine Blue. It was discovered by accident at Oregon State University, where Professor Subramanian was looking for a new metal to improve supercomputing. He failed in his quest on this occasion but instead discovered a glorious blue color that inspired Crayola to create Bluetiful. Prior to this, the last significant new color engineering occurred in the late 1990s. In fact, there are more colors dying (i.e. not available commercially), than new colors being discovered. This, in conjunction with rising material costs and the consolidation of companies, is leaving the color market in crisis.
You can learn all this and much more when you meet Jody Bretnall and Seren Morey, owners of the Guerra Paint & Pigment Corporation, in Maspeth, Queens. They have the largest selection of water-based single pigment concentrates in the world, stocking 220 colors, including rare and extinct pigments.
The company opened in 1986, in New York’s East Village, started by Art Guerra, an artist, (“nomen est omen” – the Latin rhyme, “the name is an omen” holding true yet again), because he was unable to find quality paint that would mix well. Morey, an artist earning an MFA at Pratt Institute and working for Guerra one day a week, saw that he needed help and asked her husband Bretnall if he wanted to help save the business. They entered an initial partnership with Guerra but didn’t fully comprehend the extent of what they were entering. Debts and crippling contracts surfaced after they took over. Bretnall, luckily, had a strong business background in a variety of industries. After he studied art while at Valley Forge Military Academy, followed by undergraduate studies at Bard College with Morey, he worked for a diverse mix of companies, including his grandfather’s business, where he created the most profitable ad campaign in its history.
His grit and determination were borne from a life-changing experience at the age of 18, when a violent car crash left him dead for a moment, cost him his leg and took over a year to recover from. He even had to relearn how to speak but you would never know it today.
He and Morey have continued to battle through the trials and tribulations of running a business, the originating crippling debts, September 11th, the 2008 market crash, superstorm Sandy, in 2016—when artists just stopped buying paint for a period, and now the war with Iran and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, which is affecting the supply chain. Yet through it all, the two have kept their spirits up, insisting on providing their customers with the highest quality pigments at the lowest prices. “It’s what we believe in. It’s our business model.”
Many people think that the high-quality pigments are more expensive than premade paints, but Morey explains that 8 oz of cobalt liquid pigment concentrate becomes 2 quarts of super saturated paint at a cost of 50% less than any premade paint. Plus, the quality is better than any premade product because the artist controls the pigment load.
Bretnall grinds the diverse dry pigments personally, in a traditional ceramic lined ball mill, also making his own acrylic and urethane binders from raw materials. He creates liquid, light-fast, very high-quality pigment concentrates called dispersions. Very highquality means that he uses only the finest historical pigments from pigment companies that originated over 100 years ago. He grinds the pigment to a Hegman 8, a very fine particle size, rarely produced by others, creating colors that are rich, vibrant and durable. It’s worth noting that their pigment concentrates have found their way into every major art museum.
Not only do they sell pigments and paints, they offer their current showroom in Maspeth, Queens to artists to exhibit their artwork for free. It’s a throwback to the ‘good ol’ days’ of post war (WWII) New York up to the mid-80s, when artists supporting artists was still a thing. Nor is it all about the visual arts, they are also both into music, playing and singing in metal and rap bands with even a stint at the iconic CBGB music club.
Seren Morey and Jody Bretnall are the real deal. They are deeply invested in being the best they can in their business. They have an encyclopedic knowledge of color, pigment and paint. They will teach you everything you need to know about pigments and how to make them into paint. They understand the artist’s needs and mentality. They are down-to-earth, practical, very knowledgeable and fun to be with. If you are an artist looking for the most vibrant colors for your next piece of art, “You gotta go to Guerra!”
G&S
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