Hello my dears,
Do you know that?
Sometimes life forces you to take a break. Not voluntarily. Not planned. But simply – due to circumstances that leave no room for maneuver.
Last year was exactly that for me: loss, renovation, upheaval, a building site. And not just on the outside, but also on the inside. Dust everywhere. Rooms that were unusable. Tools packed away. Furniture that had to wait. Big projects? Hardly possible. There was a lack of space, of peace and quiet, of the naturalness that usually accompanies creative work.
So I had to pause for a moment. And as is so often the case, it is precisely in phases like these that new paths emerge – or old paths reappear. So I went back to the canvas.
In the past, I have mainly worked with charcoal, watercolors and acrylics. Media that react quickly, that are familiar, that require little preparation. And yet oil paints have always accompanied me – at least mentally. This depth. This calmness in my work. This incomparable brilliance of color. Oil paints are not superficial. They have weight, presence, an incredible depth.
And yet I avoided it for years.
Not out of fear of technology. Not out of respect for the complexity. But because of the solvents that are necessary, especially for cleaning the tools. Turpentine, aggressive cleaners, vapors that build up. For someone like me, who handles materials very consciously, pays attention to compatibility and doesn’t ignore environmental aspects, that was always an internal stop. I knew that if I was going to paint with oils, then only in a way that felt right for me.
And then came the moment that changed everything.
I have discovered the Michael Harding Miracle Medium.
A medium that rethinks oil painting. Without classic solvents. Without those pungent odors. Gentle to use, pleasant to handle – and yet uncompromising in terms of quality and results. For me, that was the missing key. Suddenly there was no longer any inner resistance, but genuine curiosity. And very quickly, conviction.
At this point, I began to take a closer look at Michael Harding himself.
Michael Harding is not just a paint manufacturer. He is an artist, color maker and researcher by conviction. His path did not begin in a marketing department, but in his own artistic practice. In the 1980s, he worked as a painter while restoring old master paintings. It was precisely there that he became deeply involved with pigments, binding agents and the question of why many modern paints no longer achieve what historical oil paints could.
Instead of settling for the status quo, he began to produce colors himself. Not to conquer the market – but to create colors that he wanted to work with himself. Colors with maximum pigment content. Without unnecessary fillers. Without industrial shortcuts. Every color should serve the pigment, not the other way around.
This attitude still characterizes Michael Harding Oil Paints today.
The paints are made in England, in small batches, with great care. Each pigment is treated individually, processed with precisely the oil that optimally supports its properties – be it linseed oil, safflower oil or poppy seed oil. Not out of principle, but out of experience. The result is colors with exceptional color depth, high lightfastness and a luminosity that is not artificial, but comes from the pigment itself.
What particularly impressed me: Michael Harding does not think in terms of “series” in the classic sense, but in terms of pigment logic. Each color is allowed to be what it is. Some are transparent, others opaque. Some need more oil, others less. Nothing is standardized just so that it fits better on the shelf.
Oil paints have time.
Time to mix.
Time to process.
Time to think.
They don’t force you to hurry. They allow for corrections, overlapping, pauses. They leave decisions open. For me, this was exactly the right medium at this stage. No pressure. No “having to finish”. But a process.
Another aspect that is important to me: Michael Harding’s products are vegan. No animal ingredients. No hidden compromises. This is not a side note, but a conscious decision. And it suits me. To my way of working. And to what Elfen & Helden stands for.
The Miracle Medium fits in perfectly with this philosophy. It enables oil painting without traditional solvents, reduces health risks and makes working with oil paints more accessible – without compromising on quality or expression. For me, this was not a small discovery, but a real turning point.
The colors themselves have an incredible intensity, are wonderfully creamy and are wonderfully smooth to work with.
That’s why you can now find Michael Harding Oil Paints and media in my store. Michael Harding and his products have convinced me!
As an artist.
As a person.
And as someone who only includes products in her range that she works with herself – and that she can stand behind.
For small projects.
For big thoughts.
For quiet moments on the screen.
I look forward to getting creative with you.
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Write to me in the comments or send me a message – I look forward to a creative exchange with you!
SEE YOU NEXT TIME!
YOUR MASTER OF DISASTER,
ANGELA
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