Last year, I gained an oil painting diploma from Norfolk Painting School under Martin Kinnear. Here are my reflections in a three-part series, Scroll back to read about my early Fine Arts training in South Africa. PART ONE I discovered my artistic training genealogy.I learnt the discipline of time at the easel. PART TWO I learnt about the properties of oil paintsI learnt different ways of using my toolsI plumbed new depths in what I can do. PART THREE My goals changed.My taste … [Read more...]
Are oil paints toxic?
The answer is YES, oils are toxic. So are watercolours and so are most 'proper' art materials. If they weren't you could use them as food colouring! Kindergarten paints are non-toxic i.e. edible. In oils it is the pigments which are toxic as well as the mediums and cleaning solvents. Most pigments in all sorts of paint are toxic to a greater or lesser degree, which is why you should never lick your paintbrush. That white stuff - above - is mildly toxic - it is calcium carbonate - i.e. chalk. … [Read more...]