In this month’s post, I’ll be sharing more about RuCo Paints, a small art business based in Mullumbimby, Australia. RuCo Paints is run by Marlena, a mother of two who pours her heart and creativity into every aspect of the business. This is actually the second blog post I’ve written about RuCo Paints. If you’d like to read the first one—which explores the NORD collection, my first custom box, and a few single paints—you can check it out here.
RuCo Paints is a brand I absolutely love—not just for their handmade watercolours, but for the values they represent: sustainability, quality, and beauty. Here’s a little excerpt from the RuCo Paints website that beautifully sums up the vision and heart behind the business:
"I wanted to take some time, to tell you more of the Ruco story, how we’ve evolved and how we’ve stayed the same. I spent a very long time dreaming up Ruco Paints, first as an artist and then as a mother craving a purpose and a creatively inspiring way to stay home with my kids. So, when it actually came time to bring it into the world, I very clearly knew what I wanted it to look like. Everything handmade by us, using sustainable materials and sourcing them from other small businesses (preferably mother led) whenever possible. Paints that are not only high quality and vegan but that are also luxurious and unique. Every step of my process done with the careful intention of love, made to inspire the creativity we all hold, in everyone who uses them. "
Reading that, it’s easy to see why RuCo Paints resonates so much with me.
The Solstice Collection
The first set of paints I’ll explore today is the Solstice Collection, a beautiful tribute to the Summer Solstice - "a symbolic collection, an inner tribute to cycles, ritual and reclaiming creative space". Each colour in this collection feels perfectly attuned to the theme, with evocative names like Bonfire, Candlelight, and Oracle. The wooden box features a warm tan-orange stain, adding a touch of rustic charm. The ceramic pans in this collection are crafted from black clay and finished with a sleek clear glaze, creating a striking contrast.
The palette leans toward textural, muted, moody tones — colours I wouldn’t often use on their own, but ones that are perfect for blending and toning down more vibrant hues in my palette.
Here’s what stood out to me about the Solstice Collection:
Opacity: Most of the paints are semi-opaque, with some, like Candlelight and Bonfire, being quite opaque.
Texture: The paints are textural and granulating, which I love. Some are more granulating than others—Oracle, for example, has visible pigment particles that add a beautiful, organic quality to the paint.
Pigmentation: The colours are highly pigmented and rewet effortlessly. A little goes a long way, which makes them perfect for long-term use.
Versatility: As a botanical artist, I appreciate the addition of a bright, clean yellow in the collection. It helps round out the palette and allows for vibrant, colourful mixes that complement the moodier tones.
This collection feels thoughtfully curated, with each colour offering something unique while working harmoniously as a set.
Some mixes you can get using the Solstice Collection colours:
See below for swatches of all the colours in the Solstice Collection.
CUSTOM BOX
The Custom Box I’ll be sharing features a thoughtfully curated selection of 12 colours, blending bright, vibrant single-pigment paints with rich, textural mineral earth pigments. Among them are several "signature blends"—unique mixed-pigment shades from previous collections. This set is ideal for florals, offering vivid hues like Magenta, Emerald, and Deep Violet, alongside textural mineral pigments such as Lapis Lazuli and Malachite. To balance the palette, it includes earthier tones like Midnight, Indigo, and Seed, perfect for softening and grounding brighter colours.
The box offers a well-balanced mix of transparent and opaque colours, with a range of granulating, textural pigments and smooth, matte finishes. It includes just one shimmer shade, Bear—a warm brown with a delicate gold shimmer. All the colours are lightfast, except for Indigo, which has an ASTM II lightfastness rating.
The paints are easy to rewet and deliver vibrant, saturated colour payoff, though some lower-staining pigments, like Malachite and Lapis Lazuli, are more subdued. Malachite stands out for its unique texture and graininess, with large pigment particles visible on the paper—a feature I find particularly fascinating.
This custom box has quickly become one of my favourites for its incredible versatility, allowing for endless mix possibilities. However, I find it could benefit from a bright yellow like Cadmium Yellow or Cadmium Lemon for creating more vibrant mixes, as the included Sunflower shade leans more transparent and muted.
The wooden box itself features a warm tan stain, while the ceramic pans are made from tan speckled clay with a clear glaze—my favourite style of pans from RuCo Paints!
See below for swatches of all the colours in the Custom Box.
SINGLE CERAMIC PANS
I have five extra single paint pans stored in my Solstice Collection Box. One was purchased separately from the website: Pebble, a single-pigmented, opaque earth grey. The other four came from seconds packs I purchased. Based on their colours, I believe they are Comet or Primary Yellow, Indigo, and Silurian.
Comet/Primary Yellow: A bright, semi-opaque yellow that’s perfect for mixing with other paints.
Silurian: A low-tinting, transparent brown with a subtle green shimmer that adds depth and texture to washes.
These pans make a wonderful addition to my collection, offering versatility and unique qualities for different painting projects.

See below for swatches of all the single ceramic pans in the Solstice Collection Box.
If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this blog post.
Until next time.
Much love,
Wendy
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