How to Keep Safe While Painting

What is the fuss about solvents? Recently I researched an article comparing oil paints. I was interested to read about health risks associated with artist materials. About that time I also happened to be talking to an artist about how I work in my studio. During the discussion he mentioned two artists who were afflicted with Parkinson's disease. Although these artists lived normal lifespans it was noteworthy that they shared this disease too. My mind started creating images of toxic waste in my humble studio. Maybe it was time to reassess basic studio safety.

It is well known that paint pigments commonly used by the impressionists, for example, had high lead content. There was also the risky use of zinc in zinc white. The risks were high since these early formulations had high content of toxic chemicals that could be easily absorbed through the skin. Certainly any pigments ingested accidentally posed a higher risk. It has been suggested that Van Gogh even ate paint in fits of depression. Not helpful! Fortunately lead and zinc usage in paint has been eliminated or at least, in the case of zinc, reduced and altered to safer proportions. The same applies to cadmium too. Zinc still poses high risks so use with caution.

What about solvents? The use of solvents to clean brushes is difficult to avoid for oil painters. There are water based oil paints coming onto the market, but traditional linseed oil based paints are still the most popular. The problem with solvents is that they can be absorbed through inhalation and through the skin. The risks are particularly high if you use turpentine based solvent. Hydrocarbons and petroleum distillates are hazardous too.

The most important issue is to use good quality artists spirits that are entirely odorless. I have encountered artists using hardware store solvents that are not odorless. Not only do these intense odors induce headaches, but the volatile chemicals are inhaled and absorbed posing high risk of poisoning. Like I said the spirits should be entirely odorless not simply reduced in odor. Citrus based spirits are also available and these are less risky too although more expensive.

Next tip is to use small amounts of solvent while painting. Much of the paint can be removed with tissue paper during your painting. Use several brushes too so that you do not muddy up lights and darks using the same brush. This will help to reduce the amount of solvent cleaning required in a painting session. You can also get good results using a bit of olive oil and massage the brush into a little olive oil then clean off with tissue.

Safety is also increased if you use latex gloves while painting and cleaning brushes. I was skeptical of this at first. I thought the gloves would feel odd and distract me, but actually I barely noticed them. Gloves also make cleaning up a cinch and save me hassle when painting outdoors especially when I have to drive back home - there is always paint getting onto the steering wheel! Latex gloves are cheap and available in bulk at the supermarket so it was no hardship to add this to my set-up.

When in the studio make sure there is cross ventilation. Do not let wastepaper baskets pile up with solvent and paint covered rubbish. Dispose of these items the same day.

Surely it goes without saying that none of these materials should get into your mouth or eyes so be careful about absentmindedly eating with paint covered fingers or rubbing an eye while painting.

So no need to get into a panic. A bit of common sense and a few precautions is all it takes to stay safe and enjoy your painting.

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Art and Culture in South America - And the World

Art and Culture in North America

Diverse - this probably characterizes the works of art in North America. Considered the melting pot of different cultures, we see works of art in various forms. The Northwest boasts the wonderful sight of totem poles; the Southwest regions offer the sight of figurines like the notable Kachina dolls; the arctic regions are known for its masks; and in the southwest, sand painting and pottery are famous. All of these art forms reflect the kind of culture that sustained the people who lived to create something spectacular.

Art and Culture in Europe

Rich - the right word to describe the works of art in Europe. Considered as the center of artistic revolution, Europe is home to the renowned paintings, sculptures, architecture, music, books, plays, and natural wonders. The Coliseum, the Stonehenge, and St. Peter's Basilica is only a few examples of how great Europe was in history. Until today, works of arts serve as remnants of the continent's colorful past.

Art and Culture in Asia

Magnificence - a term that may even be an underestimation when it comes to the architectural feats of the Asian continent. In the Islamic world, famous mosques create a panoramic skyline. Equally remarkable are the Buddhist stupas, Chinese pagodas, and the Hindu temples. In the Indus regions, figurines and seals abound. The unique eyes of early Asians also boast naturalistic images of bird and flowers. When it comes to handicraft, the Ming ceramics are precious to behold. This breadth of artistry illustrates the sort of early civilizations around the world who took to the arts in order to preserve their historic identities.

Art and Culture in Australia

Mesmerizing - a word that captures the spirit in the arts in the Oceania. In Australia, paintings by early settlers animate rocks and caves. In Melanesia and Polynesia, cloth painting is very much alive in clothing called the "tapa." The meeting houses built by the Maoris speak about the history of the continent's native people. And who would forget the enigmatic statues gracing the coasts of Easter Island? These art forms bring life to history that only the ocean waters have witnessed.

Art and Culture in South America

Mystifying - a word fit to describe sights like the Nazca Lines, the Tiwanaku, Machu Picchu, and Chan Chan. Considered works of arts, these were created through a succession of cultures starting from the Chavins, Nazcans and Moche cultures, the Tiwanaku-Waris, the Chimu, and the Inca cultures. Such are perfect sights to behold that their mystical qualities equally match the rich culture of the continent's most famous people: the Incas. It animates, it brings delight, and it educates. These are characterizations of the effects of arts. And as long as these works continue to exist, our minds will continue to be in awe.

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Tales From an Art Gallery

Artists face the challenge of marketing their work. There is no point trying to avoid this unless the artist does not want to sell art. Many methods of marketing exist including the traditional gallery exhibits.

I spent a year marketing my art, together with other artists, through an art gallery. My experience through this period has been invaluable. I had the pleasure of meeting many people including dedicated collectors, artists and other interesting folk. I experienced the highs and lows of the art trade at the meeting point between artist and the public. I have respect for hardworking gallery owners. It is not an easy business. A good gallery owner will appreciate the artists who are true to their profession and will also treat customers with the respect they deserve. I have also met and continue to meet many good people through my online gallery. You may be next, but there is still an important role to play for traditional galleries.

Here are some of the highs and lows and a few lessons learnt during this time:

• Making the first sale of the week to a young couple on a Thursday afternoon just before closing time brought a lump to my throat. My spirit was restored, but I learnt that I cannot fix my emotions to the sale. An artist must create art first and foremost and let the selling take care of itself.


• To the ladies who came into the gallery to stare at and debate the merits of the wall color before deciding that it would indeed look good in their lounge - I hope you discover that paintings on the walls will do far more for your décor!


• To the gent who stood in the doorway staring into the gallery, with a smug look, and commented that: "You guys must be struggling these days," then walked away. No my friend, we leave the struggle to those who cannot see.


• I had a laugh at one young lady who came in with her camera and asked if she could photograph one of my paintings, because she wanted to paint something like it for her house. Bless her, she didn't bat an eyelid and I did not have the heart to say no. After all I accepted the request as a compliment.


• My favorite collector was a lady who knew what she wanted. She would walk in and head directly for the large painting, point at it and declare: "I will take this one!" Then whip out the credit card and the deal was done. Brilliant!


• The most pleasure comes from those sales that mean so much to the collector. The man who was moved to tears by a painting because the clouds reminded him of the day his mother passed away. Still gets to me.


• Or the couple who saved up to buy their special painting and seeing their joy and excitement. Priceless.


• Or the tourists who went to the trouble of getting their paintings shipped to the UK because the paintings would remind them of their wonderful time in South Africa. I love you guys!


• Another favorite collector would make regular visits and seldom left without a painting or at least an encouraging word to me. Always reminding me to keep at it and assuring me a greater success. He did not have to say those things, but art moved his soul. I thank you too.


• Phoning an artist to tell them that their painting has sold and sharing their joy. This is always special.


• To those folk who would say thank you just because they could look at some original art. It is always a pleasure. Thank you!

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How to Break Out of a Creative Rut

One of my artist friends asked me what do I personally do when I find myself stuck in a creative rut. I was in one of those periods recently. Not the first time and it will not be the last either. Every artist gets into a creative rut at times. The good news is that these ruts are necessary. They are a call to up your game.

The artist's rut has many causes. Perhaps the most common are: Doing the same technique over and over expecting a different result; painting the same subject without intent; failing to study your art; not painting regularly; painting too much; other physical or emotional problems causing weariness or distraction; not changing your environment or references; Professional bondage to one style or subject is creative death or an art problem that cannot be resolved. There are others.

You may recognize the feeling of being in a rut when you approach painting without that old fizz. That state of happiness that starts quietly and builds up to being blissfully in the moment. Time stands still and you are doing the work. When these qualities are missing it can be depressing. Are you losing your touch? Have you reached the bottom of your talent quota? No you are fine. You are just ready for the next step up.

The problems listed above vary in seriousness. The typical issues for me are related to subject and technique. Sounds mundane enough. Just change them and you are okay. Not so quick. Getting to this point of recognizing the problem, resolving to change something and acting upon it is not simple. It takes energy and discipline. You have to give yourself the proverbial kick in the pants. Make you bargains with the painting gods and get your energy flowing.

Here are a few techniques that help.

Get outside and take a walk. If this is possible for you then make it good. Walk with purpose and vigor. See your surroundings like an artist. Look for shapes, values. Breathe in deeply. Breathe out the frustrations.

If you cannot take a walk then any form of exercise that raises your breathing and heart rate will have good effect. Energy flows from action.

If you have an idea then go with it. Draw it out in simple form. Then put it aside. Let it develop in your mind for a while.

While the energy is starting to kick in I like to stoke the fire a bit more by going through preparations. Hands on tasks like preparing painting panels. Cutting canvas. Priming. I line up the panels and will prime ten or more. Get out a canvas and tone it. I am not going to start a painting at this point even if I am tempted to. I tell myself the best is still to come. The breakthrough moment will be tomorrow, but I will be prepared.

Come the morning and I am painting with purpose. Music on. Big brush. Big shapes. Once that canvas has the blocking in completed I start another and block it in too. This is all about action and bold movement. I do not want to get stuck on middle and end stages. I know I will be ready for those later in the day or the next day.

On the issue of subject and technique. Change something. Just do it and go with it. If you have been painting landscapes then paint a portrait. Use big brushes and paint in broad planes to sculpt the face. Loose and free. Those same broad strokes will be used in your next landscape.

Change colors. Paint an entire painting using tones of burnt sienna for example. If I like what I see I may add more color over the monotone and the painting will go in another direction.

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Become An Artist's Model - Get Paid For Getting a Tan - You Wish

Well, having become involved with a local artists group in the Channel Islands Area, I realized that my pre-conceived notions about the lives of artists was totally misguided. Perhaps you too have some false visions as to how the art world works. If so, maybe I can assist you in setting the record straight. First, there are many types of artists. Some paint landscapes, buildings, and nature, others specialize in people, animals, and life art. Still, others make a living painting cars, airplanes, trains and other such things.

Then there is the versatile artist, one who is so knowledgeable, so talented, and has so much experience, well, hell they can just about paint, sketch, draw, or render just about anything. Trust me when I tell you people are the hardest, especially non-photograph assisted portrait type paintings or life art. Of course, the life artist who paints people needs a subject to sketch or paint, a model if you will. Sure, it could be a family member or friend, but realize this, it's pretty easy to burn through friends when you ask them to sit for four+ hours while you create that master piece.

Oh and speaking of models, that isn't easy either. In fact, some models who do photography think that they can also do life art modeling - no, doubtful. With life art you have to hold your pose for longer periods of time, not just seconds for the camera's shutter speed, that's easy, and you can do it quite well with some practice and a talented photographer burning through 100s of digital pictures over a 4-5 minute time period.

Now then, imagine a life art model becoming the muse for the painting artist. Yes, a very important component, but holding a pose for 15-minutes at a time (minimum) up to 30 minutes to an hour isn't easy, and getting back into position eight times over the course of half a day, and still perhaps being needed for subsequent hours another day - ouch, sore muscles too, depending on the pose. So, if you think you are going to get paid to model for an artist and get a free tan in the process, well, more like a sunburn I'd say, so be careful what you wannabe artist's models wish for.

Artists might believe that models have the easy job, just sitting, standing, or lying around for the pose - not. Meanwhile, models think the artists have all the fun, creating and enjoying their work while they slave away with aching muscles trying to hold the pose. The reality is, creating masterpieces isn't easy, and the grass isn't greener on either side, well, not usually. But in the process, that is how great work is created - and it takes a team to make that happen - it's no walk on the beach, trust me.

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Appreciation to Oil Painting - The Artist's Studio

People and things appearing in this painting had a certain meaning, which seemed puzzling. But it reflected the painter's democratic thought and realistic artistic direction, which contained Courbet's capitalist social attitude with suspicion and critique. Some people said that his painting was the proud expression and sad memories. In his paintings, he was very pleased with himself, giving the painting composition so naïve and warm vitality. It was so sincere and not ridiculous. Some people also said that his superb performance skills saved a very naïve idea. But people had to admit that the composition, harmonious atmosphere and the uniform color were incomparable, the center of the painting was more beautiful.

All the characters in the painting were arranged in a half round and the center was the painter's image. The unified hot and stuffy atmosphere broke the too bright colors that appeared in Courbet's scenery painting. The uniform colors were based on different color brown tones. The massive walls, the rose, blue and brown tone of the infinite soft terms was a masterpiece. The naked human body model was one of Courbet's most successful human bodies, although she was based on the photos. All the volumes were expressed by the light and shadow. And the pink clothes thrown on the floor was a wonderful still life painting. Portraits of friends were taken from Courbet's past works. So, what we saw here was a memory and a real fantasy, which did not show the intention of the realism of Courbet.

Compared this painting with A Burial at Ornans, we can clearly see the benefits that Courbet got out from the reality of bondage and invested himself in this warmth. The characters were portrayed clearly and seemed to be independent, only relying on the strong atmosphere of independence to get the painting of unity. Therefore the comparison of self-contained unity and the elegant feelings were made. The giant painting showed the artist's ability strong grasp of complex composition and the painter's realistic modeling and color painting techniques. The image was filled with texture and sense. All this showed that Courbet was a great master of realism. In 1855, Paris hosted the world-famous painting exhibition and the review committee rejected this painting, because this painting possessed a socialist nature. Then the artist decided to rent a house next to the world exhibition to show this painting and entitled it "Realism Exhibition" and published "The Realism Manifesto". Here was the name of Realism art schools from.

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Renoir - The Impressionist Who Loved Life

"Why shouldn't art be pretty?" asked Renoir, stalwart of Impressionism. "There are enough unpleasant things in the world."

True to his words Pierre Auguste Renoir painted beautiful canvases that came alive with flowers, people, lush landscapes, and nudes so sensual, he felt he could pinch them. His delight in life of the Parisian street corner was intense. So much that he side-stepped academic studio practices of the nineteenth century to paint everyday scenes. When his exasperated art master remarked "No doubt you took up painting just to amuse yourself", Renoir cheekily replied, "If it didn't amuse me I wouldn't be doing it."

Born to needle-pusher parents at Limoges France in 1841, Renoir was noted as the child with the beautiful voice. But even at an early age he was clear that a musical career was 'not his thing'. When his family moved to a house in the courtyard of Louvre in Paris, it brought him in close proximity with the Old Masters of art. Renoir's first job was at a porcelain factory painting silhouettes of Marie-Antoinette on fine white cups. Accomplished at the job, he earned a comfortable income. However, his job was made obsolete by the introduction of a mechanical printing process.

Aged twenty-one years, Renoir now joined a well-known art school run by Charles Gleyre. Traditional in character, the studio provided the artist excellent training in painting. But it was in encouraging Renoir to paint outdoors in the forest of Fontainebleau, that the school contributed to developing his unique artistic style. It was also here that Renoir experienced a coalescence of minds with a band of talented young painters - Claude Monet, Frederic Bazille and Alfred Sisley among them.

Painting in the forest of Fontainebleau, Renoir and Monet tried to truthfully capture the light before it changed hues. This required them to paint very fast. So they often did not blend brush strokes. This sowed the seeds for what was to become the revolutionary Impressionist style of painting. Impressionism captures a fleeting glimpse of the subject in brisk strokes of pure color.

For years Renoir struggled as an artist. It was difficult to find agents and patrons who could see beauty in this new form of art. Those were years of financial hardships for the Impressionists. Till he found patrons like Victor Choquet and the Charpentier family, Renoir lived off portrait commissions. Meanwhile, artistically he was struggling to reconcile his impressionist techniques and what he had learned from the paintings of old masters. The result of his confusion was a harsh and impersonal style that fell flat.

Before long, Renoir realized his folly and learned to trust his own instincts. He started painting in bright, radiant colors which he had learned to handle with ease during his years as a porcelain painter. In his canvases he celebrated beauty and grace. But in spite of developing his own distinct style, never did he consider himself a revolutionary. He frequently visited museums and studied the old masters. And in fact his style was less harsh than the other impressionists, say Monet. Renoir created paintings beaming with colors, experimented on flowers the same flesh tint he used for his nudes, and his graceful gentle style was well-suited for painting children.

Renoir was a friendly Impressionist. He believed in the inherent goodness of man. The sociable and affectionate artist inspired great loyalty among his friends. Even though he was reserved in displaying his affection, through quiet acts of benevolence, he won over many. He also enjoyed matrimonial bliss with Aline, with whom he had several children.

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