All Things Fine Art

"In Progress", 18x24", oil on linen

For several years I’ve been struggling with asthma. This past year things came to a head as the asthma combined with a rusty ticker created some serious breathing problems.  About the same time, I happened to read with interest several Facebook articles posted by nationally known artist, Marc Hanson, relating to his experimentations with brands of water mixable oil paints. In Marc’s case, he was suffering from migraine headaches apparently caused by the use of Liquin and mineral spirits in his studio.  He eliminated these products and his migraines ceased.

Marc’s process of painting is somewhat similar to mine, i.e. light initial washes over painted with opaque passages. So, I took his recommendations very seriously. His product preferences were Cobra by Royal Talons and Holbein water miscible paints. Having used Artisan paints by Winsor Newton myself, (and not terribly impressed with them) for color work in life drawing classes where the odor of mediums was not allowed, I decided to take his recommendations and  purchased a set of Cobra. I’ve not been disappointed. They took a little getting used to but I’ve been very satisfied with the results. They seem to be much more in line with my way of painting than the stiff Artisan paints that I used in the past. Consequently, the Artisan’s are in permanent storage and the Cobra’s are on my studio palette. I may continue to use regular oils for outdoor work…I’ve not gotten that far in my thinking yet.

Some of the differences I’ve discovered are that the water mixable paints tend to be a bit more transparent than regular oil paints especially the white and, the Cobra’s are very intense compared to what I am used to in my mixing process. Consequently, that took some adjustment in thinking and practice on my part during the getting acquainted period. I found, too, that using the Cobra painting medium throughout, creates a sticky paint that may be good for overlaying wet on dryer paint but, for me, it didn’t work trying to work alla prima. In the painting above, I  used only water as my medium. The painting is still in progress and I may at the very end do a little glazing in a couple of areas using the painting medium…time will tell. I should mention here that the painting looks very "blue". That is due to my lack of photographic talents. The painting actually has a good deal more warmth to it than it appears here.

Having completed a couple small studies and this larger piece (still in progress), I feel comfortable in saying that I really like working with the Cobra’s. With no toxic mediums to contend with in the studio, my breathing has improved a great deal over the past several weeks. I’m excited to be back to painting and enjoying it immensely.  In general, a few additional tips include: 1) these paints dry only slightly faster than regular oils, 2) using thin washes for block-in seems to work best on smoother canvas or linen (I use
Centurian XL and Raymar cotton panels), and 3) I’m liking Rosemary and Company brushes for a lot of my work and would recommend their Ivory and Master lines for the water mixable paints.

In closing, I should mention that keeping an open mind as you work through the first few projects is a must while you learn how things are done.  If one approach doesn’t seem comfortable to you then try the various mediums that are available for your product. With an open mind and a little experimentation, I’m confident that you’ll find satisfaction like I have. Your studio will be safer and healthier. What more can we ask?

If you've had experience with water mixable paints I'd ove to hear your thoughts on them and how you resolved problems that you may have encountered.