Many transitions in the materials I painted with, from oil to egg tempera to watercolor, led to a great depth of knowledge. Understanding the toxicology of the materials required for me to paint my vision safely ultimately led to extensive research of watercolor papers and the toxicology of pigments.
I began art classes at a very young age continuing through two bachelors of fine arts equaling 8 years total. Never once did an instructor speak of safe handling procedures or teach toxicology of the art materials. In fact, one promoted the use of lead white. M. Graham & Co.’s sales representative told me he receives approximately one call per week from an artist struggling with reactions to art materials.
Several classic books on artist's materials exist, Ralph Mayer and Mark David Gottsegen each wrote one. Pigments are universal for all mediums; I incorporate current and thorough information on pigment toxicity not available in those two classics. My focus on papers leans heavily toward watercolor. Thanks to a few generous fine arts papermakers my information on watercolor papers is quite extensive. I provide excellent resources for artists interested in pursuing egg tempera.
Relating our lives and work to the environmental crisis of our times, I explicitly discuss why we should care about the materials we paint with. I am also thrilled to share with you my discussion of how art materials influenced major transitions in Western art history.
"This book about my journey evolved into its own journey. The original intent to share my research on pigments and papers grew from the opening chapter, Navigating Safely, as negative comments spurred responses and the need for a deeper understanding of how materials and techniques reflect the artist’s times surfaced."
The book is still in process. The technical section requires extensive work. I am happy to share a PDF of the book in progress for free at the moment, as long as you provide constructive responses in return.
