Is oil painting a safe hobby?

A customer just sent me this question: "My sister is an artist and told me some oil painting is toxic to breathe, but other types of oil paints are not. I have no idea what she is talking about, but I would like to know before registering for a class."

At Sipping N' Painting Hampden, we are not Chemists or public health experts, but as artists, the teachers at our studio care about everyone's health. We are happy to share what we have learned over the years!

All paints, and all substances everywhere in the environment, have some risk, which is why pretty much everything says "use as directed". You don't want to deliberately inhale something that requires adequate ventilation. You don't want to ingest something into your body that is not food. If you take ordinary precautions, even paints made with small amounts of lead, cadmium, cobalt, chromium or titanium can be safe, if used as directed. We apply a skin barrier before painting with oil paints, then wash our hands after using them and before we eat. 

That said, we are far more careful at our studio, than most oil painters would be. We have made the decision not to use paint thinner in our Certified Bob Ross classes, which is what the vast majority of oil painters use, because paint thinner usually contains benzene, which is a Class ! carcinogen. Instead, we use a product called "Citrasolv" for brush cleaning, and a walnut oil-based product for thinning paints, if necessary. Reportedly, television painting instructor Bob Ross, his wife Jane, his teacher Bill Alexander, and his friends Ellen and Diane, all died from cancer. It may be a coincidence, but why take chances we don't have to take now? We can never know for sure what caused their illnesses, but we can make safer choices as we learn more every year about carcinogens and how to avoid them.

I teach my students how to clean their brushes manually and then with Citrasolv, which is a product made with natural orange oil. We buy our Citrasolv from Chewydotcom, where it is often sold for cleaning dog kennels. It has a pleasant smell and relatively simple ingredients. If a customer tells us they are allergic to citrus, we use a petroleum-based product in that particular class. (I prefer Citrasolv). We also use an air purifier in our studio to increase ventilation, just in case.

Acrylic paints, which we use in most of our classes, may also have small amounts of toxic substances in them, which you should not ingest. We always advise washing your hands after painting with any paint. Acrylic can leach micro-plastics into the environment, so we want to be conservative in pumping paints so we are not wasting them unnecessarily. Like anything else in our environment, we use all art supplies sensibly, as directed, and with common sense. We also use biodegradable cups for our beverages and we recycle wine bottles, out of respect for the environment. We do what we can, based on what we know, and we strive to do better all the time.

Painting in general is good for one's health -- according to scientific studies, creative endeavors lower stress, lower blood pressure, boost your immune system, and can bring peace to an anxious soul. We think the small risks associated with any creative hobby are worth it, but that is for every artist to decide! Always, always, always, use art supplies (and every other product) as directed. Have fun creating!