This is an increasingly hard-to-find color, which was historically used in verdaccio and underpainting for flesh tones. It is usually a gentle, lower chroma transparent green. Usually it is glauconite but can also be celadonite or other minerals. Unfortunately, many companies opt for blends of yellow iron oxide and phthalo green. We have it on good authority that every- or nearly every- PG23 out there commercially has a little tiny bit of phthalo green in it. Even so, genuine green earth has a very mild quality to it. Some also have larger particle sizes, so be aware of that. We find that to be a feature, but some people require very smooth paints (for example, if you use a glass palette this could be a frustrating quality). Some of the more interesting green earths are found from Williamsburg and Rublev.

This pigment is requires a high amount of oil to make it into a paint, and tends to be a slower drier.

In her work on artist pigments, Monona Rossol writes that some forms of celadonite have structure form similar to cancer-causing minerals, so while PG23 is not labeled for that hazard, please do your research when working with this pigment.