A Vault for Colors: The Forbes Pigment Collection

Via Colossal: Photos courtesy Zak Jensen & Andrea Shea/WBUR

The extensive collection of pigments of the Forbes pigment collection is amazing, and a place that I definitely would like to visit. Below is a little excerpt from an article written at Colossal and a video from Great Big Story about the collection. 

Colossal: Harvard’s Colorful Library Filled With 2,500 Pigments Collected from Around the World

The Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies at Harvard Art Museums is different than many other departments of its kind—it's visible to the public. The public can witness conservators at work as well as view 2,500 pigment samples placed in tincture bottles and housed behind tall glass cabinets. The samples are reminiscent of medicine bottles—the concentrated material’s purpose to help doctor paintings rather than physical maladies. 

The Forbes pigment collection was started by its namesake—Straus Center founder and former Fogg Art Museum Director Edward Forbes who began the collection at the turn of the 20th century. Forbes would collect his samples from his travels all over the world, bringing back pigments from excavated sites at Pompeii to rare lapis lazuli found in Afghanistan.

Forbes’ interest in pigments and preservation started with his purchase of the 14-century Madonna and Child with Saints, which he bought in 1899 and noticed that the painting was quickly deteriorating. Harvard Art Museums research curator Francesca Bewer remarks in her book A Laboratory for Art: Harvard’s Fogg Art Museum and the Emergence of Conservation in America, 1900-1950 that he then began a passionate exploration into the process of how paintings were made. This interest led to collecting the materials needed for the preservation of fine artworks alongside his own collection of early Italian paintings.

Colossal's article also mentions this database, CAMEO: Conservation & Art Materials Encyclopedia Online, which I didn't know existed. Not only is the database impressively extensive, but it also houses a digital database of the Forbes' pigments! I am going to have to go through and read about the pigments I have already written about just to make sure I have all of my information correct. 

If you would like to read about various oil pigments, but in much smaller doses, take a look at my Pigment posts on my main Tips and Techniques page. 

Is it Safe to Oil Paint while Pregnant? Yes

Mary Cassatt, "Sleepy Baby," 1910 

Note: This post should not be taken as medical advice. I am not a doctor, and while my own doctor has given me the go-ahead, this post should be taken only as my opinion.

After "coming out" about my pregnancy I have gotten all types of questions/comments about painting:

Are you still going to paint now that you are pregnant? Yes.

Well, I guess you are going to have to stop painting now that you will have kids, aren't you? Nope.

Are you aware of how hard it will be for you to paint when you have a baby? Yep, I know it will be hard.

At least with the new baby you don't have a job to worry about, right? Nope, I do.



Well you don't make money at it, so it isn't really a job, right? Nope, I do and yep, it is.

Thanks world for making me feel good!

The truth of the matter is that there are LOTS of moms who are successful artists. Kind of like how there are lots of moms in all professions. Painting is not some special space where moms are irresponsible if they continue to do what they love. That being said, there are some elements to painting that every pregnant artist should be aware of.

How to make your painting space pregnancy and baby friendly: 

1. Always maintain good ventilation, even in winter.

2. Eliminate all solvents. This is key and easy.
                a.  Cleaning your brushes without solvents is healthier and cleaner.
                b. Use non-toxic Gamblin's Solvent-Free Gel or M. Graham's Non-Toxic Alkyd as a medium.
                c. Be aware that although some solvents are odor free, such as Gamblin's Gamsol, they are still very toxic and should not be used while pregnant.

3. Minimize the use of Cadmium, Cobalt, and Lead while pregnant.
               a. If using Cadmium paints, wash your hands regularly or use gloves.
               b. Replace Cadmium with Azo pigments. Azo pigments have almost the same base color as the various Cadmiums, but without the toxicity.
               c. Cobalt is an easy pigment to replace and is so expensive it is usually not a part of the general palette. All the same, take a look at your paints just to double check.
               d. Never use lead-based paints while pregnant. Happily there are now more than enough options that this should not be an issue.

4. Never allow baby to sleep in your painting space. Be aware of the amount of time baby is spending around your paints and place baby in a different room when possible.

If you have any tips for pregnant ladies that I didn't think of, leave a comment. For more Tips and Techniques, take a look at my main Tips page.

Loving Life's Designs: A Mother's Day Card

My sisters are extremely creative and have a really great site called Loving Life's Designs. They currently are revamping the entire thing, making it something really amazing. I am super excited for both of them, and for me because they are letting me participate. Yay! I have broken the twin barrier!

They commissioned me to make a design for an up-and-coming Mother's Day card that they will have for free on their site. Initially I came up with three different styles, then I created different lay-out options for their chosen style. Below are the roughs of those lay-outs:

There are some balance issues with some of the designs that will need to be worked out if picked for the final card, but overall, I am pretty darn happy with myself.

Watching Paint Dry: How to Get your Painting to Dry Faster

As deadlines approach, sometimes finishing a painting seems beyond reason, forget giving it enough time to dry.

Below are some quick tips to help your oil paintings dry faster:

1. If you know that you'll be rushed for time, try using more thinner than oil in your medium (while maintaining the Fat over Lean rule).

2. A professor once mentioned that you can dry a painting in the oven on the lowest setting. She always warned us that it will make the entire house smell and that you risk burning the painting, though. So maybe not the best option.

3. A blow dryer. Be prepared to sit there for hours.

4. A space heater. This is my preferred method when I need a painting to be dry a day before it wants to be. Select the lowest heat setting and let it go for hours.

5. Put your painting under the rear window of a warm car. The warmth inside the car will help heat the layers.

Even though these methods can help speed up the drying time, they will by no means take a wet, thickly painted canvas and make it dry by morning. Remember, oils do not dry by dehydration, but by oxidation. Adding additional heat helps to increase the rate of chemical reactions your painting is undergoing. Always remember to maintain a well-ventilated area and to have patience.

Warning: Never use the above methods unless you are completely finished with the painting. Trying to force drying time between layers can lead to cracking and a lot of swearing. Trust me, I know.

For more tips about painting, take a look at my main Tip and Techniques page.