I've been painting with oils for a good long time now, and love their buttery quality and the true colour that stays the same when dry as when you make the mark. These qualities are the main two reasons I love working with oils. What I dont love is the toxicity! My studio doesn't get the best ventilation. (there are 2 small windows but if it's freezing out or pouring rain having them open all the time isn't ideal) After a couple of hours of oil painting I notice the air quality isn't great, and I always take a break at these times. A slight headache/watery eyes can be symptoms too.
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| 'Summer at Chaffey's Locks' oil on panel 9 x 12 - $250 |
I was aware of Gamblin's solvent - free gel oil painting medium and found it good for panels but not great for my practice on larger canvas's because it has a rather thick consistency. Then I read this Muddy Colors blogpost. Yesterday I took a trip to Ottawa to the new DeSerres art store in Bell's Corners (its where the Wallack's was on Robertson Road) and I noticed they had the Gamblin solvent-free fluid medium, so I bought some. Also purchased some Gamblin solvent-free safflower oil for cleanup. I'm excited to give these products a whirl and see if I can incorporate them into my process, because I'd be really happy to stay with oils but get rid of the toxic solvent issue.
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