A non-toxic and safe studio.
Many art supplies are toxic, the way that they are made or just using them isn't good for the body, and if it's dangerous to the body, then it just can't be good for the environment.
Having been an artist for many, many years this was not something that any artist thought about. You bought your supplies, and you used them, it was a matter of pride of showing off your splattered jeans, ink on the hands, clay smeared on your face (well I had an itchy nose), you are an artist.
But then I took a ceramic class just for enjoyment. Our teacher was thrilled that his new ceramic studio was finally finished. He told us how he had all the walls, floor and even ceiling tiled with a large drain set into the floor. We asked him why and his response was clay dust. He wanted a studio that he could hose down and keep truly clean. He didn't want to breathe in any more clay. When I asked my artist daughter about the truth in this, she was like, "oh yeah, you'd be surprised on how many art supplies are dangerous to use" She concluded that if you knew what your preferred medium was, you needed to find high quality materials and or take the precautions needed to keep from inhaling the dust or vapors. At the time she was a glass blower...watch out for that fire!
Pastel dust, clay dust, oils, varnishes, acrylics, colored pencils, how are they made, some artist are now using gloves to paint or to use pastels. And if you have animals and children that can be double duty to keeping the studio safe because just closing the door may not be enough (I had a cat that knew how to open doors, via doorknob and my current cats just destroy the rug until you have no choice but to let them in.)
I have been working on a safe studio for a long time and since my current cats have come into my life, making the studio as safe as possible has been my all-time goal. They like to stick their noses where it doesn't belong. I started small, my water jars all have lids, I'm careful what goes into my trash can, beads, threads are all in jars or decorative boxes. My watercolor paints all have lids, if I'm leaving the studio, lids go back on, brushes get cleaned. It's a start...
Now, I have been going farther into detoxing the studio, letting go of many mediums and supplies, like markers and acrylic paints. Making my own paper or looking for environmentally friendly papers (I recently came across paper made from hemp and bamboo...YAY!) It's not easy to find supplies that are truly green, or if you do find something but it can come in a plastic container. I have a tendency to keep the container and re use it for something else, like old beads.
But paint and glue...that's the tough part. I started using milk paint (instead of gesso) to paint over old frames, and occasionally on my altered cards, I personally like the look, it can give a piece an old-time look. I have also just used sandpaper on old frames to make them look worn, it even works on old playing cards. I would like to learn to make my own paints one day, which isn't very hard to do.
Today I took the plunge in buying what I need to make glue. Methyl cellulose, which has been used in book binding as well in many other products as a thickener. I am also trying out a Natural Acrylic Medium which is plant based.
I still haven't given up on making paste out of rice flour...
Check out Natural Earth Paint, they carry pigments, and the supplies needed to make paint, face paint, gesso and more. I recently discovered Tomorrows Artist that makes a recycled art paint...check it out!
Remember do what you can, a little at a time is always good, don't be hard on yourself, I still have my colored pencils even though I don't use them very much these days. Even just using sustainable cleaning products is always a great start to keep your studio clean.
Peace and Love,
Dolores
