Oil painting and a safe studio

Artists have always found a way to make beautiful art out of the most toxic materials. Traditionally, oil paint not only used toxic pigment like cadmiums and colbalt, it was also common to use hazardous solvents like turpentine or mineral spirits to thin paint and clean brushes.

Over the last few decades, paint manufacturers have worked to replace or modify toxic pigments in their products. This was done for economic and liability reasons, but the result has made oil paint one of the safest artist materials to use.

It is the solvent used for clean-up that is still hazardous and can cause sensitivity over prolonged use. Odorless solvents helped minimize the strong smell, however, fumes still exist and, like turpentine and mineral spirits, odorless solvent should not be inhaled. This problem is compounded if the artist is working with solvent in a small or at-home studio.

In the early 2000s, Grumbacher, Windsor Newton and others introduced water soluble oil paints to eliminate the need for solvent. These are "real" oil paints, formulated with the exact same pigments as traditional oils. They are NOT water-based, the oil has been modified making it possible to clean up with soap and water. No solvents are needed.

The oil binder in water-mixable or water-soluble oil paints is modified through an emulsion process to load more hydrophilic particles in the oil binder than hydrophobic particles. It is still oil, but it will not repel water, allowing the artist to clean brushes with soap and water.

One complaint about water-soluble oils is that they become flat or break down when using water to thin them for transparency. Any time oils are thinned with traditional or water-mixable oils, it should be done with linseed or walnut oils or specialized mediums. Using turpentine to thin traditional oil creates the same cloudy or matte effect that water does, thinning water-mixable oils.

There are several reasons to consider water-mixable oil paint. The most obvious is the health factors; eliminating solvents is a wonderful thing. They also tend to be more economical, costing less than comparable traditional oils and being kinder and gentler to brushes as it is longer necessary to clean with solvents.

They are also a great introduction to oil painting for beginners or artists who want to try a new medium. Most of the major manufacturers are producing water-soluble lines so it is good to compare them as artist will have personal preferences.

The basics to remember when using water soluble oils:

Clean up with soap and water.

Avoid natural boar bristle brushes; synthetic work best.

Don't thin paint with water for transparency, it dulls the shine.

Use a medium to thin paint; there are specific to water-soluble oils, but linseed, walnut and spike lavender oils work as well.

Use wood or glass palettes; paper palettes pull moisture from the paint.

Overall, the water-mixable paints are a fun and easy way to get into oil painting and, for painters who have a sensitivity to solvents, they provide a great alternative to traditional oils.

Another option for solvent-free oil painting is the use of walnut oil and other natural oils used by the Renaissance masters. M.Graham & Co. is a company in Oregon that produces high quality oil color made with pure walnut oil. It is free of solvents, fillers or additives and has exceptional brilliance and texture. They set out to make paint Da Vinci would use. It is high quality and, because it does not use filler, it is high value.

Since solvent-free paints were introduced there has been a debate as to whether they are actually oil paint. Many educators relegated these products to beginners and discouraged serious students to use them. This has changed some over the years, but be prepared that someone might receive a little grief over choosing water-mixable over traditional oil. All one can do is carry on and take a nice deep breath.